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HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 

In %txn, 

FROM THE INVASION OF JULIUS C^SAR TO 
THE PRESENT TIME. 



ILLUSTRATIVE NOTES, CHRONOLOGICAL CHART OF THE KINGS OF 
ENGLAND, TABLES OF CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS, 



A TABLE, 



DESCRIPTIVE OF THE PRESENT CONDITION OE 
GREAT BRITAIN. 

BY 

HANNAH TOWNSEND. 




PHILADELPHIA: 
LINDSAY & BLAKISTON. 

1852. 












T 



Entered, according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1 852, by 

LIXDSAY & BLAKISTON, 

in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States in and 

for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. 

STEREOTYPED BY J. FAG AX. C. SHERMAN, PBXKTKR. 



|THE LIBRARY] 

| OF CONGRESS) 

J WASHINGTON 



PREFACE. 



This little work has been written under the 
impression that verse is generally more readily 
learned, and longer retained in the memory, 
than prose, and that, if the incidents in the 
History of England could be thus clearly, but 
briefly enumerated, the student would have in 
his mind a consecutive history, the minuter 
details of which he could supply by farther 
study. 

Abstaining from mere kingly gossip, I have 
endeavoured to select those facts which are of 
actual importance — which have affected the 
nation, the people — which have indicated their 
progress in civilization, religion, commerce, lite- 
rature, science, and art — to place cause and 
effect together, thus helping the student to 
think, and to condense as much as possible, that 

(in) 



iv PREFACE. 

the memory may not be burdened with useless 
words. I hope the difficulty of this condensa- 
tion, with the continual introduction of names, 
dates, and unrhythmical words and phrases, 
will serve as an apology to the reader, when 
his ear is annoyed by inharmonious verse ; but, 
above all, I trust that nothing will be found 
which can poison the mind, that no seed will be 
implanted which may hereafter grow to bear 
bitter fruit. 

I have endeavoured to remove the gloss from 
war — to speak against it when I could — and to 
distinguish between those conflicts which were 
aggressive, and productive of only military 
glory, and those which were an expression, 
though an unchristian one, of insulted man- 
hood, for a maintenance of just rights. 



Philadelphia, 1852. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



Page. 

Divisions of England in the Roman Period 7 

Rulers of Britain during the Roman Period 8 

Introduction 13 

Egbert 20 

Ethelwolf , 20 

Ethelb ald. Ethelbert 21 

Ethelred 1 21 

Alfred 21 

Edward the Elder 24 

Athelstan. Edmund 1 25 

Edred. Edwy 26 

Edgar the Peaceable 26 

Edward the Martyr 27 

Ethelred II. Sweyn 28 

Edmund II 29 

Canute 29 

Harold I. Hardi-Canute 30 

Edward the Confessor 30 

Harold II 32 

William the Conqueror 33 

William II 37 

Crusades , 38 

Henry 1 39 

Stephen 41 , 

Henry II 43 

Richard I 48 

John 50 

(▼) 



ti TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

Page. 

Henry HI 53 

Edward 1 56 

Edward II 58 

Edward III 60 

Richard II. 63 

Henry IV 65 

Henry V 67 

Henry VI 68 

Edward IV 71 

Edward V , 74 

Richard III 74 

Henry VII 76 

Henry VIII 79 

Edward VI 83 

Mary 85 

Elizabeth 87 

James I 91 

Charles 1 95 

The Commonwealth 99 

Charles II 102 

James II 105 

William III. and Mary 106 

Anne 108 

George I Ill 

George II 113 

George III 116 

George IV 123 

William IV 126 

Victoria 128 



Reigning Sovereigns of Europe 133 

Sovereigns of England 136 

Statistical Tables 142 



DIVISION OF ENGLAND, 

AT THE TIME OF THE ROMAN INVASION. 

England, including Wales, was, at the invasion of the 
Romans, divided into the following seventeen states : — 

Called by the Romans, Consisting of 

1. The Dammonii Cornwall and Devon. 

2. Durotriges Dorsetshire. 

3. Belg^e Somersetshire, Wilts, and part of 

Hants. 

4. Attrebatti Berkshire. 

5. Regni Surrey, Sussex, and remaining part of 

Hants. 

6. Cantii Kent. 

7« Dobuni Gloucester and Oxfordshire. 

8. Catticuchlani.... Bucks, Bedford, and Herts. 

9. Trinobantes Essex and Middlesex. 

10. Iceni Suffolk, Norfolk, Huntingdon, and 

Cambridge. 

11. Coritant Northampton, Leicester, Rutland, Lin- 

coln, Nottingham, and Derby. 

12. Cornari Warwick, Worcester, Stafford, Chester, 

and Shropshire. 

13. The Silures Radnor, Brecon, Glamorgan, Mon- 

mouth, and Hereford. 

14. Demetjb Pembroke, Cardigan, and Caermathon. 

15. Ordo vices Montgomery, Merioneth, Caernarvon, 

Flint, and Denbigh. 

16. The Brigantes... York, Durham, Lancashire, Westmore- 

land, and Cumberland. 

17. Ottadini Northumberland to the Sweecl. 

( vii ) 



RULERS OF BRITAIN, 

FROM THE INVASION OF JULIUS C^ISAR TO THE 
DEPARTURE OF THE ROMANS. 



B. C. 

1. Cassivelaunus 83 

2. Theomantius 50 

3. Cymbeline 24 

A. D. 

4. G-uiderius 45 

5. Arniagus 73 

6. Marius 125 

7. Coilus 179 

8. Lucius 207 

9. Severus (Emperor) 211 

10. Bassianus 218 

11. Carausius 225 

12. Alectus 232 

13. Asclepiodorus 262 

14. Coilus II 289 

15. Constantius (Emperor) 310 

16. Constantine (Emperor) 329 

FROM THE DEPARTURE OF THE ROMANS TILL THE 
INTRODUCTION OF THE SAXONS BY YORTIGERN. 

A. D. 

1. Octavius 383 

2. Maximiniamus 391 

3. Gratian 431 

4. Constantine 1 446 

5. Constantius 446 

6. Vortigern 450 

( viii ) 



HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 

In Inst 

FROM THE ROMAN INVASION TO THE END OF 
THE SAXON HEPTARCHY. 



B. C. 55— A. D. 827. 882 YEARS. 



From Tan, a country, and Brett, tin, 

The name of Britain came,* 
And only as the Land of Tin, 

Was it first known to fame.f 

'Twas peopled by the Celts and Gaelsf 

In time to us unknown, 
Its history preserved in song 

Of Cambrian bards alone. § 

* Pictorial History of England. 

f The Phoenicians traded very early with the inhabitants of Corn - 
wall for copper and tin ; but they were unacquainted with the inte- 
rior of the country. 

\ A colony from Gaul, (the ancient France.) Their descendants 
are chiefly in Wales, the highlands of Scotland, and the north of 
Ireland. They are still a distinct race, speaking the language of 
their remote ancestors. — McCulloch. 

§ Pliny. — The earliest authentic history commences with the 
invasion by Julius Cassar, B. C. 55. 

2 (13) 



14 

B. c. 55. Caesar, before Christ fifty-five, 
Anchored upon its strand, 
And found a people clad in skins* 
Inhabiting the land. 

Bravely by Cassibe'lan led,f 

Did they resist his will ; 
But their rude warfare could not cope 

With Roman arms and skill. 

B. C. 43. Rome from the conquest little gained 
Until, in forty-three, 
OstoriusJ went, and o'er the kings 
Obtained a victory. 

Caractacus, the chieftain brave, 
Who last in arms remained, 

* Their arms and legs were uncovered, and were usually painted 
blue. Their long hair flowed over their shoulders ; but their beards, 
excepting on the upper lip, were closely cut. Plutarch says they 
were so habitually regular and temperate, that they only began to 
grow old at a hundred and twenty years. 

f Mentioned by the early historians as the first British general 
who opposed the Romans. The name is variously written. Cassi- 
bealau'nus, Cassivelau'nas, and Cassibe'lan. " Caesar relates that 
Cassivelau'nus, after dismissing all his other forces, retained no 
fewer than 4000 war-chariots about his person. These chariots had 
short Bcythes attached to the axle-trees, which inflicted terrible 
wounds." — Haydn. 

\ In the reign of the emperor Claudius. 



INVERSE. 15 

Was sent to Rome, and, with his wife, 
Walked through the city, chained.* 

But still the Britons, unsubdued, 

Arose, the foe to meet ; 
'Till Nero sent Suetonius 

The conquest to complete. 

The Druidsf o'er the people held 

An undisputed sway ; 
Priests, poets, and historians, 

And magistrates, were they. 

In caves they lived, on berries fed, 

Were strict in faith and life ; 
They urged the Britons to revolt, 

And led them in the strife. 

* It is related of Caractacus, that, looking around upon the costly 
splendour of the city, he exclaimed, "How is it possible that men 
possessed of such magnificence at home, should envy Caractacus an 
humble cottage in Britain !" 

f A celebrated order among the ancient Germans, Gauls, and 
Britons, who were so called from their veneration for the oak (Drys). 
In England, they were chosen from the best families, that the dig- 
nity of their birth, added to that of their station, might procure them 
the greater respect. Rowland's Mona Antiqua. — They worshipped 
in the open air ; and there remain in England circles of stone laid 
upon the ground, which it is supposed enclosed their sanctuaries. 
The mistletoe, a parasitic plant, was used in their rites, and vene- 
rated as a symbol of their faith. Mrs. Markham. — They sacrificed 
human victims, which they burned in large wicker idols. 



16 HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 

Sue'tonius doomed them unto death, 

Wherever they were seen, 
And conquered Boadi'cea, 

Ice'ni's hero queen. 

Upon that bloody field of war 
His slaughtered thousands lay ; 

Then Britain, broken-hearted, bowed 
Beneath the Roman sway. 

Agric'ola next went, and taught 

The useful arts of life; 
But with the Caledonians waged* 

A fierce and deadly strife. 

He built a chain of forts across, 
From Solway Frith to Clyde, 

To keep the bold, free-hearted chiefs 
Upon the northern side. 

The Emperor Ad'rian raised a wall 

Composed of turf alone; 
And afterward Antonius 

Made one of earth and stone. 

* Caledonia — Scotland. The name is supposed to be derived 
from Gael or Gaelmen, or Gadel-doine, corrupted by the Romans. — 
Haydn. 



INVERSE. 17 

At length Seve'rus, who resolved 

The enemy should yield, 
Went thither in two hundred seven, 

But could not gain the field : 

His army built another wall 
From Solway Frith to Tyne ; 

But still the Caledonians waged 
Fierce war beyond the line. 

The Romans left the British Isles 

Four hundred and fourteen, 
But still remains of roads and walls, 

And villas, can be seen. 

Next came the Scots and Picts,* and spread 

Rapine and ruin far ; 
The Britons called the Saxon chiefs 

To aid them in the war : 

448-460. They came, and fought the Scots and Picts, 
But conquered Britain, too ; 
From Angle, a famed Saxon tribe, 
The name of England grew.f 

* The name by which the inhabitants of Scotland were at that 
time distinguished. The Picts, so called from Pictich, a plunderer, 
and the Scots, from Scuite, a wanderer, in the Celtic tongue, were 
only different tribes of Caledonians. — Dr. Henry. 

| The national appellation of Britons in time gave place to that 
of Anglo-Saxons, the latter signifying Saxons born in England. A 

2* 



18 HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 

Each Saxon chief kept for himself 
The land torn from his foes ; 

And thus the Saxon Heptarchy 
On Britain's ruins rose. 

The Romans first the Druids killed, 
And brought the Christian faith, 

And now the Saxons persecute 
The Christians unto death. 

Some of the Britons fled to "Wales, 

And hid in mountains lone, 
And others to the north of France, 

As Brittany now known. 

Arthur, the prince of the Silures, 
Opposed the Saxon might — 

His knights of the Bound Table fought 
Full many a desperate fight. 

Among the Saxons were five ranks — 
First Kings, and second Earls, 

Freemen the third, each to some lord 
Attached, and named the Ceorls. 

The fourth, ignoble Ceorls, were sold, 
Or given with the land ; 

history of the Anglo-Saxons, relates to the people who inhabited 
England from the Saxon to the Norman invasion. — Mrs. Markham. 



IN VERSE. 19 

The fifth were theowes, or full slaves, 
Sold at the market stand.* 

Gildas, of Wales, surnamed " The Wise," 

The oldest writer known, 
Among the British people lived, 

Five hundred sixtj-one. 

The " Venerable Bede" was born 

Six hundred seventy-three, 
And unto him the English owe 

Their first church history. 

Adhelm, renowned as the first bard 

Who English ballads wrote, 
Lived in six hundred ninety-eight, 

A linguist he of note. 

Then Caedmonf lived, and Aleuin,J 

Who Saxon poets were ; 
And Nennius, an historian, 

Who died eight hundred four. 

I 

# Even little children were carried to Rome and exposed in the 
public markets for sale, and this led to the first Christian mission 
upon record.^ A. D. 598, Gregory, observing- the extreme beauty of 
some of these children, observed, " They would have been angels, 
had they been Christians." And when he afterwards became 
. Pope, he sent St. Augustine, with forty monks, to redeem Britain 
from paganism. 

f Died 600. 

t Died 600. Also wrote on history and theology. 



20 HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 

SAXON KINGS.— 17. 



EGBERT - FIRST SOLE MONARCH OF ENGLAND. 



827—838. 11 YEARS. 



827. Eight hundred twenty-seven saw 

The Heptarchy* o'erthrown, 
And Egbert, the first sovereign 
Of England, reigned alone. 

Then from the north came forth the Danes, 

And overran the land; 
But they were driven out with loss, 

Twice by King Egbert's hand. 



ETH'ELWOLF. 



838—857. 19 YEARS. 



King Eth'elwolf repulsed the Danes ; 

He granted tythes to priests, 
And gave them from all services 

And imposts, a release. 

* Heptarchy — seven kingdoms. 



IN VERSE. 



21 



ETH'ELBALD. ETH'ELBERT. ETH'ELRED I. 



857—872. 15 YEARS. 



Next Eth'elbald and Eth'elbert 
Ruled jointly, and their reigns 

Lasted nine years. Then Eth'elred, 
Who died fighting the Danes. 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Popes. 



Gregory IV 823 

Sergius II 844 

Leo IV 847 

Benedict III 855 

Nicholas I.. 858 

John VIII 872 



Emperors of the East. 

A. D. 

Michael II 821 

Theophilus I. . . . 829 
Michael III 842 

Emperors op the West 
and Kings of France. 

Lewis 1 814 

Lotharius 840 

Lewis II 855 



Kings of Scotland. 

a. D. 

Congallus III 824 

Dongallus 829 

Alpinus S34 

Kennethus II 849 

Donaidus 859 

Constantius 865 



ALFRED THE GREAT. 



872—900. 28 YEARS. 



'Twas in eight hundred seventy-two 
Great Alfred gained the throne, 



22 HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 

Lenient, yet just, learned,* wise, and good, 
His people's cause his own.f 

He fought the Danes, and conquered them, 
Then changed the foe to friend ; 

He gave them land, and all the aid 
His kingly power could lend. 

The English navy he commenced ; 

But what was better far, 
He taught his people they should live 

For peace, and not for war. 

So for the Saxon, who required, 

To pass the weary time, 
The fight, the hunt, the game of chess, 

Or wandering gleeman's rhyme, 

* The following extract from the Lord's Prayer, translated by 
Alfred, will give an idea of the language then spoken in England : 
Faeder ure thu the earth on heafenum, si thin nama gehalgod, to 
becume thin rice, Gevvurthe hin willa on earthen swa swa on heafe- 
num urne ge daegwanlican hlaf syle us to daeg, and forgyf us ure 
gyltas, swa swa we forgivath urum gyltendum, and ne geladde thu 
us on consenung ac alyse us of yfle. (Si it swa.) 

f King Alfred endeavoured to impress this principle upon the mind 
of his son and successor. Calling him to his side when he felt his 
last moments approaching, he said, " My son, be thou the children's 
father and the widow's friend. Comfort thou the poor, shelter the 
weak, and, with all thy might, right that which is wrong." 



INVERSE. 23 

He built the University 

Of Oxford, pledging then 
Places in Church and Government 

Only to learned men. 

He framed a code of laws,* enforced 

The jury trial, too,f 
And founded schools, where landed men 

Must send, or pay the due. 

The kingdom into counties was 

Divided in this reign ;{ 
Markets and fairs were introduced, 

As readier means of gain.§ 

Houses of wood alone were seen, 
Stone but in churches found, 

But the first Christian church was built 
Of wattles, interwound. 

* This code is lost ; but it is supposed to have been the origin of 
the common law. 

f The introduction of the jury trial is usually attributed to Alfred ; 
but Phillips says that there is evidence of a case having- been tried 
at Ha warden nearly a hundred years before his reign. The list of 
the twelve jurors is preserved. 

X It was divided into counties, hundreds, and tithings. County 
courts were held monthly, and became the great safeguard of the 
civil rights of Englishmen. 

I Coined money was not used ; everything was bought and sold 
by barter. 



24 HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 

Few were the learned men ; but first 
Were Eth'elwald* and Asser,f 

J. Scotus Erigina,{ too, 
The famed philosopher. 






CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Popes. 



John VIII 872 

Martin II 8S2 

Adrian III 884 

Stephen VI 885 

Formosus 891 

Emperors of the East. 

Basilius 1 867 

Leo VI. 886 



Emperors of the West 
and Kings of France. 



Lewis II. . 
Charles I.. 
Charles II. 

Arnold 

Lewis III. 



. 855 
. 873 



Kings of Scotland. 

a. D 
Constantine II. . . 863 

Ethus 878 

Gregory SSO 

Donaldson VI.... 898 



EDWARD THE ELDER. 



900—925. 25 YEARS. 



Edward the Elder wisely ruled; 

He oft repulsed the Dane ; 
The Cambridge University 

Was founded in his reign. 



* Died 900. Wrote " History of Great Britain." 

f Died 909. Wrote " History of England," and " Life of Alfred." 

I Died 883. Wrote a philosophical work, entitled " Of the Nature 

of Things." His theological views are said to have been similar to 

Luther's. 



IN YERSE. 25 



ATH'ELSTAN. EDMUND I. 



925—948. 23 YEARS. 



An able king was Ath'elstan, 

And popular his reign ; 
He fought and conquered Irish, Welsh, 

Northumbrian, Scot and Dane. 

The Scriptures "were translated then 

Into the Saxon tongue ; 
And, as a title, was conferred 

The name of gentleman — 

On every merchant who had been 
Twice to the midland sea.* 

Next Edmund First was crowned the king ; 
But a short reign had he; 

For Leolf in the monarch's blood 

His robber hands imbrued. 
In this, and the succeeding reign, 

The Danes the war renewed. 

* The Mediterranean — at that time called Midland Sea. 
3 



26 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 



EDRED. EDWY. 



948—959. 11 YEARS. 



Edred was bigoted and weak, 
The dupe of Dunstan's art. 

Dunstan and Odo killed the queen, 
Dear unto Edwy's heart. 

And when, excited by these priests, 

His brother Edgar tried 
To seize upon his throne, he drooped, 

And, broken-hearted, died. 



EDGAR THE PEACEABLE. 



959—975. 16 YEARS. 



King Edgar, by wise government, 

Subdued the robber bands ; 
No wars he made, but killed the wolves* 

Infesting all the lands. 

* Their heads were demanded as a tribute (particularly three hun- 
dred yearly from Wales) by King Edgar, a. d. 9G1, by which step 
they were totally destroyed. — Carte. 



IN TERSE. 



27 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Popes. 



Benedict IV 900 

Leo V 904 

Sergius III 905 

Anastasius III. . . 910 

Lando 912 

John X 913 

Leo VI 928 

Stephen VIII. ... 929 

John XI 931 

Leo VII 936 

Stephen IX 939 

Martin II 943 

Agapet II 950 

John XII 956 

Benedict V 964 



John XIII 


. 965 


Benedict VI. 


. 972 




. 972 


Emperors of the 


East. 


Leo VI 


. 886 


Constantine Por 




phyrogenitus . 


. 910 


Romanus the 




Younger 


. 959 


Nicephorus .... 


. 963 


Zimisces 


. 970 


Emperors of the 


West. 


Lewis IV 


. 899 


Conrade I. .... 


. 912 



A. D 

Henry I. 919 

Otho 1 936 

Otho II 973 

Kings of France. 

Charles III 899 

Lewis IV 936 

Lothaire 1 954 

Kings of Scotland. 
Constantine III.. . 909 

Malcolm 1 943 

Indulphus 958 

Duffus 967 

Culenus 972 



EDWARD THE MARTYR. 



975—978. 3 YEARS. 



Edward, surnamed the Martyr, was 
Gentle and kind to each; 

And yet his wicked step-mother 
Met him with courteous speech, 



And proffered wine ; and as he drank, 

Unconscious of her art, 
A servant, by her orders, thrust 

A dagger to his heart. 



28 HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 



ETH'ELRED II., THE UNREADY. SWEYN (DANE). 



978—1016. 38 YEARS. 



The second Ethelred was ne'er 
Prepared to meet the Danes ; 

He gave them bribes to leave the land, 
Again and yet again ; 

And to procure this fund, imposed 

A tax which was abhorred, 
Called Danegelt, which remained until 

The Saxon line restored. 

He wed a Norman* princess, thus 

Securing Norman aid ; 
But in revenge of former wrongs, 

A massacre was made 

Of all the Danes throughout the land : 
And when the act was known, 

Sweyn, who was king of Norway, f came 
And seized upon the throne. 

* Normandy (situated in the north of France) was anciently called 
Neustria. It was granted by the king of France to duke Rollo and 
his Normans (Northmen) ; hence Normandy. — Putnam. 

\ The Norwegians were also called Danes. 



INVERSE. 29 



Ethelred fled to Normandy; 

But King Sweyn dying soon, 
He came back, fought the Danes, and left 

The kingdom to his son. 



EDMUND IL, IRONSIDE. 



1016—1017. 1 YEAR. 



Edmund the Second (Ironside) 
Oft battled with the Dane ; 

Then with Canute parted the crown, 
But was soon after slain. 



DANISH KINGS. — 3. 



CANUTE THE GREAT. 



1017—1036. 19 YEARS. 



Canute the Great was crowned ; and thus, 

After two centuries passed 
In fighting with and conquering Danes, 
A Dane was king at last. 
3* 



30 HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 

And he was thought the greatest king 
Reigning in Europe then ; 

Wise laws he made, and patronized 
Letters and learned men. 

He sent his fleet and army back, 
To make it clearly known, 

He felt himself secure with them, 
And safe upon their throne. 



HAROLD L. HAREFOOT. HARDI-CANUTE. 



1036—1041. 5 YEARS. 



Harold his son succeeded him ; 

His chief joy was the chase ; 
Hardi-Canute, his brother, next, 

Last of the Danish race. 



SAXON LINE RESTORED. 



EDWARD THE CONFESSOR, 



1041— 1066. 25 YEARS. 



Weary at length of Danish kings, 
The greatest joy was shown 



INVERSE. 31 

When Edward, " the Confessor" styled, 
Received the proffered throne. 

He was the son of Eth'elred, 

And of his Norman wife, 
And in a Norman monastery 

Thus far had passed his life. 

He introduced the Norman dress, 
And spoke the Norman tongue ;* 

The Norman baron's haughty tread 
Throughout his palace rung. 

He exiled Godwin and his sons, 
Because they frowned on this, 

And gave their broad and fertile lands 
To Norman favourites. 

But with a fleet they soon returned, 

Demanding lands and right; 
They conquered, and the Normans fled 

The country in affright. 

The people thought that Edward's touch 

The scrofula would cure ; 
And the kings touched for this disease 

Six hundred years and more. 

* The language used by the Saxons in England was the Norman- 
Saxon. The Normans introduced the Norman-French ; and the 
Latin, previously introduced by the Romans, was used in the 
churches. The pre.-:ent English is a mixture of Anglo-Saxon, Nor- 
man-French, and Latin. 



32 HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 



HAROLD II. 



1066—1066. 



When Edward died, Earl Godwin's son, 

Harold, usurped the throne; 
He was the last of Saxon blood 

That ever sat thereon — 

Nor reigned he very long, before 

The Norman William came, 
In right, he said, of Edward's will, 

The English crown to claim: 

And in ten hundred sixty-six, 

October, fourteenth day, 
They fought at Hastings ; and the land 

Passed to the Norman sway.* 

* At the time of the Norman invasion, nearly a third of the land 
is said to have belonged to monasteries, nunneries, and the clergy ; 
and this is supposed to have been one great cause of the duke of 
Normandy's easy victory." — Mrs. Markham. 

There is still preserved in the town-house of Rouen, a curious 
monument of antiquity, called the Bayeux Tapestry, embroidered 
by Matilda, queen of William the First. It represents all the facts 
of the conquest, commencing with the visit of Harold at the Nor- 
man court, and ending with the crowning of William, 1066. It is 
divided into compartments, and is 214 feet long and 19 inches wide. 



Popes. 



IN VERSE. 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



33 



Benedict VII. 

John XIV 

John XV 

Gregory V. . . . 
Silvester II. . . 

John XVI 

John XVII. . . 
Sergius IV.. . . 
Benedict VIII. 
John XVIII... 
Benedict IX. . 
Gregory VI. . . 
Clement II. . . 
Damascus II. . 

Leo IX 

Victor II 

Stephen X 

Nicholas II 1059 

Alexander II.... 1061 



975 

984 

9S5 

996 

999 

1003 

1004 

1009 

1012 

1024 

1033 

1044 

1046 

1048 

1049 

1055 

1057 



Emperors of the East. 



Basilius II 

Constantine X.. . 
Romanus III. . . . 

Michael IV 

Michael V 

Constantine XI.. 
Theodore (emp.j 

Michael VI 

Isaac Comnenus 
Constantine XII. 



975 
1025 
1028 
1034 
1041 
1042 
1054 
1056 
1059 
1059 



Emperors of the West. 



Otho II. . . . 
OthoIII... 

Henry II. . 
Conrad II. 
Henry III. , 
Henry IV. 



973 
983 
1002 
1024 
1039 
1056 



Kings of France. 



Lothaire .... 

Louis V 

Hugh Capet. 

Robert II 

Henry I 

Philip I 



, 954 

, 986 

987 

997 

1031 

1060 



Kings of Scotland. 

Culenus 972 

Kenneth III 977 

Constantine IV. 1002 

Gremius 1005 

Malcolm II. .... 1054 

Duncan 1 1031 

Macbeth 1043 

Malcolm III. . . . 1057 



NORMAN FAMILY. — 3. 



WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR, 



1066—1087. 21 YEARS. 



Though William, styled " the Conqueror,' : 
Had gained the English throne, 



34 HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 

The people still were resolute 
Saxons should rule alone. 

They saw the Normans growing rich 
On lands which they had tilled, 

And offices in church and state 
By Normans only filled. 

In every court and school did they 
The Norman language hear ; 

And in the service of the church 
It grated on their ear. 

The surname then was introduced 
By Normans who had come, 

Adding unto their Christian name 
That of their early home. 

William permitted game to be 

Killed only by his hand; 
And thirty villages he burned, 

For the "New Forest" land.* 

And any one who killed a beast 

That in that Forest ran, 
Suffered a heavier penalty 

Than he who slew a man. • 

* He dispeopled the country for thirty miles round. — Stowe. 



IN VERSE. 35 

He introduced the feudal laws,* 
* Compiled the " Doomsday-book, "f 
And France invaded, burning all 
The villages he took. 

* Feudal, from the modern Latin word feodum ox feud] in English, 
fief ox fee. — Brande. Under the feudal system, the land was held 
by military tenure — that is, military service was the compensation, 
or rent, paid for it. It was divided by the king among the barons, 
who were to be prepared to follow him to battle whenever he should 
require it. By the barons it was again divided among the peasantry, 
the vassals, or retainers, as they were called, who were expected to 
attend them upon all their warlike excursions ; which in those days, 
when each feudal chieftain was a sort of petty king, when each was 
jealous of the other, and when war was the great business of life, 
were very frequent. * The chiefs lived not in pleasant houses, built 
for comfort and convenience, but in great gloomy castles, contrived 
only for warlike defence. The vassals were required to build these 
castles, and garrison them ; to build the churches, and to attend their 
lords, not only in war, but in their visits to neighbouring castles, 
acting as their body-guards, and forming what was called their 
retinue. When men began to pay more attention to letters, to learn 
to till the ground, to study the art of clothing their neighbours rather 
than the art of killing them, the feudal system began to disappear ; 
but it was not annihilated until the common men began to be re- 
spected, until they were considered not as mere appendages to their 
lords, but as independent, responsible beings, who had rights, inalien- 
able rights, which ought to be respected and maintained. With the 
cultivation of the gentle arts of peace, the elevation of the masses, 
and the consequent restricted power of the aristocracy, the feudal 
system disappeared. 

f It- contains a description of every landed estate throughout Eng- 
land, (excepting in the counties of Northumberland and Durham); 
the character of its soil, its productions, the cattle with which it was 



36 



HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 



The jury trial lie exchanged 
For that of single fight ;* * 

At eight was rung the curfew-bell, 
To put out fire and light. 

The ignorant and poor he scorned ; 

To letters gave his aid; 
Ingulphusf honoured, and the learned 

LanfrancJ archbishop made. 



Popes. 



Alexander II 1061 

Gregory VII 1073 

Victor III 10S6 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 

King of France. 
Philip 1 1C 



Emperors of the East. 
Constantine XII. 1059 



Romanus IV. , 
Michael VII. . 
Nicephorus I.. 
Alexis I 



1063 
1071 
1078 
1081 

Emperor of the West. 
Henry IV. 1056 



Kings of Scotland. 

Malcolm III 1059 

Donald VIII 1068 



stocked, the name of its proprietor, and its monied value. "This 
domes-day book was the tax book of Kinge William." — Camden. 
It is still preserved in the Exchequer, and may be consulted by those 
who are anxious to learn to whom their lands belonged at the time 
of the Conquest. 

* In the trial by single combat, the victor was always considered 
the innocent person. 

f Secretary to William the First, and his historian. 

\ Archbishop of Canterbury. 



IN YERSE. 



WILLIAM II., RUFUS. 



37 



1087—1100. 13 YEARS. 



King Rufus built Westminster Hall, 
The London bridge and Tower, 

And banished Anselm,* who maintained 
The Pope supreme in power. 

The Norway king made a descent 

On England in this reign, 
Ten hundred ninety-eight, the last 

Invasion of the Dane. 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Popes. 

a. D. 

Victor III 1086 

Urban II LOSS 

Pascal II 1099 



Emperor of the East. 



D.I 



King of France. 



Alexis 1 1081 Philip 1 1060 

Emperor of : 
Henry IV. . 



: West. King of Scotland. 
. . 1056! Donald VIII 106S 



• Archbishop of Canterbury. 



HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 



CKUSADES.* 



1096—1291. 195 YEARS. 



The year ten hundred ninety-six 
Witnessed the first Crusade; 

Pope Gregory planned it, and besought 
Peter the Hermit's aid. 

And that his tomb, who was the Prince 
Of Peace, might not remain 

With those who trusted not in him, 
Six million men were slain ! 

Two million men from Europe went 

To join the holy war ;f 
And for two hundred fifty years 

Blood flowed on Syria's shore. 

* These wars were called Crusades, because a figure of the cross 
was the badge of the warrior. It surmounted the staff upon which 
he leaned; was painted upon his banner; engraved upon his shield, 
and embroidered upon his garments. He carried with him a scrip, 
or bag for food, and a scallop-shell, attached to the front of his cap, 
which served him for a drinking-cup. These warriors were called 
Crusaders, Pilgrims, or Palmers. The last name originated from 
the practice usual amongst them, of bringing with them on their 
return branches of palm. The palm is an emblem of victory; and 
being a tree peculiar to the country, it was an additional proof of 
their having been there. 

f It seemed as though all Europe had emptied itself upon Asia. — 
Anna Comnena. 



INVERSE. 39 



HENRY L, BEAUCLERC* 



Began to reign August 5th, 1100. Reigned 85 years. 



Henry the First, in those dark days 

For varied learning known, 
Upon King William Rufus' death, 

Usurped the vacant throne. 

He promised to redress the wrongs 

His ancestors had wrought ; 
And first expelled from out the court 

The Normans Rufus brought. 

He then restored the Saxon laws, 
And chose a Saxon bride, — 

Matilda, great-grand-daughter of 
King Edward Ironside. 

And he recalled from banishment 

Anselm of Canterbury; 
(The first archbishop who decreed 

That clergy should not marry.) 

* Fine scholar. He had heard his father say, that illiterate kings 
were about like crowned asses, and he was resolved not to be con- 
sidered as one of these. 



40 HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 

Then Robert, England's rightful heir, 
Came from the first crusade ; 

He strove, by force, to gain the crown, 
But fruitless efforts made. 

Far into Normandy he fled; 

But there King Henry hied, 
And conquered it, and Robert threw 

In prison, where he died. 

Then Robert's son he captured, that 
His own might wear the crown ; 

But blasted was his lofty hope, 

When the "White Ship"* went down. 

Then the first stone-arched bridge was built, 

By Queen Matilda's aid ; 
Then, in eleven thirty-four, 

The first canal was made.f 



~ x ~ The name of the vessel in which the prince was drowned. 

f Queen Matilda built two bridges at Stratford, in Essex (thence 
called De Arcubus or Le Bow). — Goldsmith. 

The first canal made in England, was by Henry the First, when 
the river Trent was joined to the Witham, a.d. 1134. — Williams. 



IN VERSE. 



41 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Popes. 



Pascal II 1099 

Gelastius II 1118 

Calixtus II 1119 

HonoriusII 1124 

Innocent II 1130 



Emperors of the East, 
a. D. 

Alexis 1 1081 

John Comnenus 1118 

Emperors of the West. 

Henry IV 1056 

Henry V 1106 

Lotharius 1125 



Kings of France. 

a. D. 

Philip 1 1060 

Louis VI 1108 

Kings of Scotland. 

Donald VIII 106S 

Edgar 1108 

Alexander 1117 

David 1124 



STEPHEN OF BLOIS * 



1135—1154. 19 YEARS. 



Stephen, a nephew of the king, 

Usurped the vacant throne ; 
And passed his reign in contests with 

Matilda, and her son. 

All England swarmed with fortresses ; 

Large villages were found 
Without an inmate, others lay 

In ruins on the ground. 

Eleven hundred castles rose, 

By feudal chieftains built, 
Whose swords, in rival chieftain's blood, 

Were dripping to the hilt.f 

* A city of France. 

f Each chief sided with one or the other party. Those who took 

J.* 



42 HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 

About this time was chivalry* 

In England introduced; 
And with it came the Tournament, f 

The Romance, J and the Joust. § 

the oath of fealty to Stephen, required, as the price of submission, 
the right of fortifying their castles. 

* This was an institution common to Europe from the 10th to the 
15th century (the period of the middle or dark ages). It owed its 
origin to feudalism, and it expired with it. It was designed to cor- 
rect some of the evils incident to that state of society. The feudal 
lord exercised an almost unlimited power over his vassals. The 
knight of chivalry swore to fulfil his duty as the champion of God 
and the ladies. He devoted himself to speak the truth, to maintain 
the right, to protect the distressed, to practise courtesy, to fulfil obli- 
gations, and to vindicate his honour and character in every perilous 
adventure. 

f Tournaments were martial sports, or exercises, performed by 
two parties of cavaliers, with inoffensive weapons. The word is de- 
rived from lourner, to turn round ; because great dexterity of both 
man and horse were required. The arrangements were magnificent 
and costly, especially when they were designed to celebrate coro- 
nations, the marriages of princes, or military victories. Wealth, 
fashion, and beauty, thronged to these exhibitions; and the success- 
ful knight received the reward of his prowess from the hand of some 
chosen fair one. No knight could tourney who had violated any of 
the rules of chivalry. 

I Romances were books which described extravagant chivalric 
feats; with stories of magicians, dragons, and giants; invulnerable 
men, winged horses, enchanted armour, and enchanted castles. 
Among those most celebrated, were " The Seven Champions of 
Christendom," "Sir Launcelot," "Charlemagne and his Twelve 
Peers," and " King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table." 

§ The joust was not so favourite an amusement as the tournament, 



IN VERSE. 



43 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Popes. 

Celestine II.. 
Lucius II. . . . 
Eugenius III. 
Anastasius IV, 
Adrian IV, 



1143 
1144 
1145 
1153 
1154 



Emperors of tiie East, 
a. D. 

John Comnenus 1118 
Man. Comnenus 1143 

Emperors of the West. 

Lothaire II 1125 

Conrad III 1138 

Frederick 1 1152 



Kings of France. 



Louis VI. . 
Louis VII. 



1108 
, 1137 



King of Scotland. 
David 1 1124 



HOUSE OF PLANTAGENET .*— 11 KINGS. 



HENRY II. 



Reigned from Dec. 8th, 1154, to July 6th, 1189. 34| Years. 



Henry dismissed the foreign troops 
Called during Stephen's reign, 

Destroyed the castles, and restored 
Order and peace again. 



for baronial pomp was not necessary to its display. It often followed 
the tournament. The victor knight would ride about the lists, and 
call on the surrounding- cavaliers, by their valiancy, and for their 
love of the ladies, to encounter him in their strokes of the lance. — 
Royal Robbins. 

# Antiquaries are at a loss to account for the origin of this appel- 
lation. Some say that Fulk, the first earl of Anjou, of that name, 
being stung with remorse for some wicked action, went on a nil- 



44 HISTOET OF ENGLAND, 

Charters he gave to towns, by which 

A citizen could claim 
From none, inferior to himself, 

The freeman's honoured name.* 

And "circuit judges" were compelled 
Throughout the land to ride,f 

That, in the place of feudal chiefs, 
They might disputes decide. 

Next were the " Constitutions framed 

Of Clarendon, "J becaus 
The clergy were amenable 

Not to the " common laws." 

Thus were the people recognized; 
And never, from that hour, 

grimage to Jerusalem as a work of atonement, where, being* scourged 
with broom-twigs growing on the spot, he took the surname of 
Plantagenet, or Broom-stalk, which was retained by his posterity. 
Putnam William, of Malmsbury, says " that the name originated 
from Geoffry Martel, the young count of Anjou, wearing in his 
helmet a bunch of flowering broom (plante-de-genet), instead of a 
plume." 

* It has been previously mentioned that, in the early days of 
feudalism, the feudal chief had unlimited power over his retainers. 
Some of these, who had been freed by the chiefs, had now gone into 
towns, and engaged in arts and commerce ; others had settled upon 
small estates as independent owners. 

f He divided the kingdom into circuits. 

| Named from the place where they were enacted. 



IN TERSE. 45 

Did king, nor priest, nor feudal chief, 
Kegain the former power. 

Becket,* the favourite of the king, 

Had regal pomp assumed ; 
High Chancellor then, Archbishop now, 

Upon his rank presumed, 

And steadily opposed the plan 

The people's rights to save ; 
But he was murdered, — and the king 

Did penance at his grave. 



* Thomas a Becket was the son of a private soldier, and was' the 
first man of English extraction who had arrived at any eminence in 
political life since the time of the Norman conquest.. As one evi- 
dence of his luxurious habits while High Chancellor, his secretary, 
Fitz-Stephen, tells us " that in winter his apartments were every 
day covered with clean hay and straw, and in summer, with green 
rushes, or boughs, that the gentlemen who paid court to him, and 
who could not by reason of their numbers find a place at table, might 
not soil their fine clothes by sitting on a dirty floor." This does not 
seem to us to accord very well with the scarlet coat lined with 
ermine, which he is described as wearing. After he became Arch- 
bishop of Canterbury, he assumed the greatest austerity, — ate only 
bread, drank water, in which fennel had been steeped to make it 
nauseous, and wore sackcloth next his skin, which he would not 
change until it became filled with vermin. He was killed at a 
suggestion of the king, who afterward repented of the act. Becket 
was canonized ; and it is said that, within the space of one year, 
150,000 pilgrims resorted to his tomb. 



46 HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 

The third of France to Henry came, 

As Eleanora's dower ; 
No king in Christendom was found 

Possessing so much power. 

And by Earl Pembroke's (Strongbow's) aid, 
He gained all Ireland, too, 

And unto England 'twas annexed, 
Eleven seventy-two. 

In early days had Ireland been 

A refuge for the learned, 
'Till the incursions of the Danes, 

When ruder times returned. 

From darkness slowly it emerged, 
Though not until the reign 

Of Edward First, did England's laws 
Throughout the realm obtain. 

The sons of Henry strove to wrest 
The sceptre from his hand, 

Joined by the French and Scottish kings, 
And barons of the land. 

Transient advances learning made 
In this and Stephen's reign, 

For both the monarchs patronized 
Letters and learned men. 



INVERSE. 47 

Henry of Huntingdon* we find, 

William of Malinsbury,f 
Cambrensis,J and de Hovedon,§ 

And John of Salisbury; || 

And Simeon of Durham, T with 

Pulleyn,** Glanville,tt St. Victor,fl 
And Layamon,§§ Nigellus,|[[| and 

Joseph of Exeter. IfT 

Few of the laity could read; 

Authors were priests alone ; 
But books were multiplied, for now 

Had paper become known.*** 

* Chronicles of England. 

f Died 1143. History of Britain. 

I (Gerald us) Conquest of Ireland, &c. 

| (Roger) Chronicles of England. 

|| Died 1181. Life of Becket, &c. 

IT Chronicles of England. 

** (Robert) died 1150. Theology. 

ft (Ralph) collection of laws. 

|J (Richard) died 1173. Theology. 

§§ Ten Saxon poems. 

Illl Speculum stultorum. 

1PI" Trojan War, War of Antioch, Epics. 

*** In every monastery was a room called the writing-room, where 
the younger monks employed themselves in writing manuscripts, for 
the art of printing was not yet invented. 



48 



HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Popes. 






A. I). 


Adrian IV 


. 1154 


Alexander III.. 


. 1159 


Lucius III 


. 1181 


Urban III 


. 1185 


Gregory VIII.. . 


. 1187 


Clement III 


. 1188 



Alexis II 11S0 

Andronicus I.... 1 1S3 
Isaac Angelus . . 11S5 

Emperor of the West. 
Frederick 1 1152 

Kings of France. 
Louis VII 1137 



Emperors of the East. 

Man. Comnenus 1143 Philip Augustus. 1180 



Kings of Portugal. 

a. D. 

Alphonso 1102 

Sancho 1 1185 

King of Denmark. 
Waldemar 1157 

Kings of Scotland. 

David 1 1124 

Malcolm IV. ... 1153 
William 1165 



RICHARD L, CCEUR-DE-LION* 



1189—129 



King Richard sold the royal lands, 

And every effort made 
Gold to procure, that he might go 

Upon the third Crusade. 

At Acre, Joppa, Ascalon, 
With Saladin he fought ; 

Small was the gain, yet terrible 
The carnage that was wrought, f 



* Lion-hearted. 

J- At Acre alone, upwards of 300,000 of the Crusaders were killed. 



INVERSE. 49 

The truce of three years and three months, 
Of three days and three hours,* 

Left the sea-ports of Palestine 
Alone with Christian powers. 

Richard, brave, generous, might have won 

A high and lofty fame, 
Yet childhood's cheek but blanched with fear 

At mention of his name. 

Returning in disguise, he was 

By Henry captive made ; 
One hundred fifty thousand marks 

Were for his ransom paid. 

During his absence, England was 

A prey to force and strife; 
No law defended property, 

And none protected life. 

And numerous were the robber hordes ; 

And then were Robin Hoodf 
And his companion, Little John, 

The terror of the wood. 

* I have mentioned the length of this truce, because it was so 
curious. The number three is considered by some Christians to 
have a peculiar significance. 

f Robin Hood, with Little John, his second in command, were the 
celebrated captains of a notorious band of robbers, who infested the 
forest of Sherwood, in Nottinghamshire, and from thence made ex- 
cursions to many parts of England, in search of booty, from 1189 to 
5 



50 



HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Popes. 



Clement III 1188 

Celestiue III 1191 

Innocent III. ... 1198 

EiirERORS OF THE E-A.ST. 

Isaac II 1186 

Alexis III 1195 



Emperors of the West. King of Portugal. 

a. D. A. D. 

Frederick 1 1152 Sancho 1 1180 

Henry VI 1190 

Philip 1 1197 



King of Denmark. 



Canute V 1182 

King of France. King of Scotland. 
Philip II 1180 J William 1165 



JOHN LACKLAND * 



Reigned from April 6th, 1199, to October 7th, 1216. 17J Years. 



Philip of France upheld the claim 
Of Arthur to the throne, f 

And seized upon that half of France 
Which England called her own. 

John made the pope his enemj,J 
Who used his power to lay 



1247. Some historians say that this was only a name assumed by 
the then earl of Hunting-don, who was disgraced and banished the 
court by Richard I. at his accession. — Stowe's Chron. 

* Named from the loss of his French possessions. 

f Arthur of Brittany — his nephew. 

% Innocent III. He offended him by refusing- to receive Stephen 
Lang-ton as Archbishop of Canterbury because the pope had elected 
him. 



INVERSE. 51 

1208. The kingdom 'neath an interdict,* 
And give his crown away. 

He excommunicated him;f 

And then did John agree 
To hold the throne in vassalage 

Unto the Holy See. 

But by the barons he was forced 

To sign, at Runnimede, 
The "Magna Charta,"J which to all 

Important rights did cede. 

* When a country is laid under an interdict by the pope, the doors 
of the churches are closed, the statues of the saints are laid upon the 
ground, diversions of all kinds are forbidden, marriages are performed 
in the church-yards, and the dead are denied funeral service, and 
buried in ditches and holes by the way-side. The whole kingdom 
was under an interdict for six years. 

j When a king is excommunicated, his subjects are absolved 
from allegiance to him, and he is denounced as unholy and polluted. 
When Henry IV. of Germany was excommunicated, 1077, his body 
was five years above ground, no one presuming to bury it. 

J The Magna Charta (Great Charter) contained sixty-three 
clauses; an enumeration of some of which may afford an idea of 
the previous condition of the people. "It was decreed that the 
goods of every free man shall be disposed of, after his death, accord- 
ing to his will ; that if he die without a will, his children shall suc- 
ceed to his property ; that no officer of the crown shall take horses, 
carts, or wood, without the consent of the owner; that no free man 
shall be imprisoned, outlawed, or banished, unless by the judgment 
of his peers, or the laws of the land ; that even a rustic shall not, by 
any fine, be deprived of his carts, ploughs, and implements of hus- 
bandry. This last was the only article in that great charter for the 
protection of the labouring people." — Mrs. Markham. 



52 HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 

A " Charter of the Forest,"* too, 
He gave ; — but in his ire 

Called foreign aid, and wasted wide 
His realm with sword and fire. 

Degree of Doctor was conferred 
Twelve hundred and sixteen ; 

In London, many houses still 
With thatch of straw were seen, j" 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Innocent III. ... 1198 
Honorius III. ... 1215 

Emperors of the East. 

Alexis III 1195 

Alexis IV 1203 

Alexis V 1204 

Theodore 1 1205 



Emperors of the West. 
a. D. 

Philip 1197 

Otho IV 1208 

Frederick II 1211 

King of France. 
Philip II 1189 



Kings of Portugal. 

A. D. 

Saneho 1 1185 

Adolphus II. ... 1212 

King of Denmark. 
Walderaar II... . 1202 

Kings of Scotland. 

William 1165 

Alexander II.... 1214 



* This charter allowed the proprietors of forests to enclose them 
for their own private purposes, and it abolished the royal privilege 
of killing- game all over the kingdom. 

f The houses of the city of London were till this period mostly 
thatched with straw ; for it appears that an order was issued that all 
houses therein should be covered with tiles or slate, instead of straw, 
more especially such as stood in the best streets. — Haydn. 

The common language of kings is we, which plural style was 
begun with King John, a. d. 1199. — Coke's Instil. Before this 
time, sovereigns used the singular in all their edicts. — Haydn. 



INVERSE. 53 

HENRY III. 



1216—1272. 56 YEARS. 



Henry on foreigners bestowed 

Each office of command, 
And by his vain expenditures, 

Impoverished the land. 

The barons, to resistance roused, 

By the Earl Leicester led, 
Forced from the feeble king a grant 

That they should rule instead. 

But seeking in the parliaments* 

The nobles' good alone, 
The people looked for means whereby 

To make their grievance known. 

They formed a new assembly, where 
Twelve from each borough sate, 
1253. And from this time we find the House 
Of Commons takes its date. 

* The word parliament is derived from parler-la-ment, which, in 
the Norman law style, signifies to speak one's mind. — Barton. 

This name was adopted about the time of the Norman conquest- 
That which the Saxons gave to an assembly of the wise men of the 
nation, was ivitena-mot, or witena-gemot 

5* 



54 HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 

The king and prince had captive been, 
But now the prince set free, 

At Evesham o'er the barons gained 
A signal victory. 

The fire and water ordeals* were 

Abolished in this reign ; 
Then was the chimney sometimes seen, 

And the glass window-pane. 

Then first the table of the rich 

The cup and saucer graced; 
Then by the tallow-candle was 

The torch of wood replaced. 

* The fire and water ordeals were introduced into England, with 
other superstitions, taken from the codes of the Germans, about the 
time of Edward the Confessor. That by fire, was confined to the 
upper classes of the people ; that by water, to the bondsmen and 
rustics. Hence the expression of going through fire and water to 
serve another. A prisoner who pleaded "not guilty," might choose 
whether he would put himself for trial upon God and his country, 
by twelve men, as at this day, or upon God only ; and then it was 
called the judgment of God, presuming he would deliver the inno- 
cent. The accused were to pass barefooted and blindfolded over 
nine red-hot ploughshares, or were to carry burning irons in their 
hands; and accordingly as they escaped, they were judged innocent 
or guilty, acquitted or condemned. The water ordeal was performed 
in either hot or cold water: in cold water, the parties suspected 
were adjudged innocent, if their bodies were borne up by the water, 
contrary to the course of nature ; in hot water, they were to put 
their bare arms or legs into scalding water, which if brought out un- 
hurt, they were adjudged innocent of the crime. — Haydn. 



INVERSE. 55 

1234. And then Ave find coal first was used,* 
And linen then was wrought ; 
Then the first poet laureate ;.f 
Astronomy then taught. J 

Paris, a Benedictine monk, 

The papal power withstood ; 
Historian, poet, orator, 

Learned, and wise, and good. 

In this reign Roger Bacon lived, — 

To him our thanks are clue 
For telescopes, for spectacles, 

And for glass-mirrors, too. 

Then Roger, of Wendover, wrote ; 

Grosseteste, Holes and ISfeckhara, 
Robert of Gloucester, Holywood, 

And Kishanger and Peckham. 

# The first charter for digging coal was granted in 1239. — Haydn. 

f He was styled "The King's Versifier," and a hundred shillings 
a year were his annual stipend. — Maddox. 

\ Bat so late as the reign of Edward VL, 1552, books of astronomy 
and geometry were burned as being infested with magic. 



56 



HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Popes. 



llonorius III. .. . 1216 

Gregory IX 1227 

CelestinelV. ... 1241 

InnocentlY 1243 

Alexander IV.. . 1254 

Urban IV 1261 

Clement IV 1225 

Gregory X 1271 

Emperors of the East. 

Theodore 1 1204 

John III 1922 

Theodore II. ... 1225 



John IV 1259 

Michael VIII. .. 1259 
Emperor of the West. 

Frederick II 1211 

Kings of France. 

Philip II 11S0 

Louis VIII 1223 

St. Louis IX. ... 1226 
Philip III 1270 

Kings of Portugal. 

Alphonso III 1202 

Sancho II 1233 

Alphonsus V 1247 



Kings of Denmark. 

a. D. 

Waldemar 1202 

Eric VI 1240 

Abel 1 1 250 

Christopher I. . . 1252 
Eric VIII 1259 

King of Sweden. 
Waldemar 1 250 

Kings of Scotland. 
Alexander II. .. 1214 
Alexander III... 1249 



EDWARD I., LONGSHANKS. 



127 



-1307. 



YEARS. 



Edward invaded Wales, and in 
Twelve hundred eighty-three 

Attached the conquered nation to 
The English monarchy. 

The queen of Scotland dying now, 

Bruce and Baliol claimed 
The vacant throne, — and umpire there 

Edward the latter named. 



IN VERSE. 57 

But Edward strove to rule the land, 

Weakened by civil war; 
And entering Scotland, he subdued 

Baliol at Dunbar. 

Then Wallace, Scotia's hero, sought 
His country's chains to burst, 

At Falkirk he was captured, though 
Victorious at the first. 

Escaped from prison, Bruce arose, 

His native land to free ; 
And Edward died while planning schemes 

For its captivity. 

In England, liberty progressed ; 

A signal point was gained; 
For funds could be, but by consent 

Of parliament, obtained. 

The Magna Charta was confirmed, 
1289. And the last tribute paid 

Unto the pope ; and then the first 
1272. Treaty of commerce made.* 

* The first ever made with a foreign nation is said by some to 
have been with Norway, but by Anderson to have been with the 
Flemmings (natives of Flanders). 



58 



HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Popes. 



Gregory X 1271 

Innocent V 1276 

Adrian V 1276 

John XXI 1276 

Nicholas III. ... 1277 

Martin 1281 

Honorius IV 1285 

Nicholas IV 1288 

Celestine V 1294 

Boniface VIII. .. 1294 
Benedict IX. ... 1303 
Clement V 1305 



Emperors of the East, 
a. D. 

Michael VIII. .. 1259 
Andronicus II.. . 1283 

Emperors of the West. 
Frederick II. ... 1212 

Rudolphus I 1273 

Adolphus of 

Nassau 1291 

Albert 129S 

Kings of France. 

Philip III 1270 

Philip IV 1285 



Kings of Portugal. 
a. d. 
Alphonso III... . 1247 
Dyonisius 1275 

Kings of Denmark. 

Eric VII 1259 

Eric VIII. 1286 

Kings of Sweden. 

Magnus II 1279 

Berger II 1299 

Kings of Scotland. 
Alexander III.. . 1246 

John Baliol 1293 

Robert Bruce ... 1306 



EDWARD II., CAERNARVON * 



Reigned from July 7th, 1307, to Sept. 21st, 1327. 20 Years. 



Edward was weak, and wholly ruled 

By favourites, vicious, mean, 
Hence strife and civil wars ensued, 

Led by the earls and queen. 

Determined to preserve his crown, 

Again The Bruce arose, 
At Bannockburn he met the king, 

And triumphed o'er his foes. 

* So called from the place of his birth. He had been crowned 
by the Scots just before the death of Edward I. 



IN VERSE. 



59 



And thus was he securely placed 

Upon the Scottish throne, 
But since the Conquest, such defeat 

Had England never known. 

Edward deposed, imprisoned, was 
Killed by his queen's command ; 

The courts were closed, disorder reigned 
Uncurbed throughout the land.* 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Clement V. . 
John XXII. . 



1305 
1316 



Emperors of the East. 
Andronicus II.. . 1283 
Andronicus III.. 1320 

Emperors of the West. 
Albert 1 1298 





A. D. 


Kings of Denmark. 


Henry VIII 


1304 


A. D. 


Lewis IV 


1314 


Eric VIII 1286 


Kings of Fran 


CE. 


Christopher II... 1319 


Philip IV 


1289 




Lewis X 


1314 


Kings of Sweden. 


Philip V 


1316 


Berger II 1290 


Charles IV. ... 


1322 


Magnus III 1320 



Kings of Portugal. 

Dyonisius 1272 

Alphonso IV... 1325 



King of Scotland. 
Robert Bruce . . . 1306 



* In consequence of war, agriculture was neglected; and because 
of this, the labouring classes suffered for want of food. The nobles 
lived wastefully, and Edward strove to check their extravagance by 
a royal proclamation, which is interesting, as it shows the control 
the king exercised over the private affairs of his subjects. They 
were forbidden to have more than two courses at dinner, for, "by the 
outrageous and excessive multitude of meats and dishes which the 
great men of our kingdom have used, and still use in their castles, 
many great evils have come upon our kingdom, the health of our 



60 HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 

EDWARD III. 



"Heroic" has this reign been called, 
Its conquests "brilliant," "great," 

Its wars were most unjust^ and brought 
But evil to the state. 

With wisdom Edward might have ruled, — 
He was accomplished, learned ; 

But with his son, the famed Black Prince, 
His thoughts on conquest turned. 

Twice did they triumph o'er the Scotch,* 
And with the Frenchf they waged 

subjects has been injured, their goods consumed," &c. There were 
at that time very few culinary vegetables in general use, excepting 
carrots, parsnips, and cabbages. Potatoes were not introduced until 
the reign of Elizabeth. 

Richard II. entertained every day two thousand persons at his 
table. The Normans were in ancient times distinguished from the 
Saxons by their abstemiousness, but now they were guilty of the 
greatest extravagance. At the marriage banquet of Richard, earl 
of Cornwall, in 1243, thirty thousand dishes were served up. Al- 
though there were but two meals in the day, the greater part of it 
was occupied in eating them. 

* Under Robert Bruce, and afterwards under his son David. 

f Edward's mother had three brothers, who were successively 
kings of France, but who all died leaving only daughters. The 
Salic law prevailed in France, excluding women from inheriting 
the crown, and Edward claimed that it belonged to him. 



INVERSE. 61 



A war, which more than twenty years 
With blinding fury raged. 



At Qressy, Poictiers, and Calais,* 
Though victories were gained, 

E'er Edward's death, Calais was all 
That unto him remained. 

"Weaving of cloth was introduced f 

In thirteen thirty-one ; 
Then first to patents was affixed 

The broad seal of the crown. 



The Windsor Castle was rebuilt,! 

Each county sent its men ; 
The laws had been in French before, § 

They were in English then. 

* These victories were chiefly won by archers. — Northrop's His~ 
tory of London. 

f By two weavers from Brabant, who settled at York. 

% Edward's method of conducting- the work may serve as a speci- 
men of the condition of the people in that age. No contracts were 
made with workmen, as in the present times, but every county in 
England was assessed to send the king a certain number of masons, 
tilers, and carpenters, who were to perform their quota of labour. 
— R. Robbins. 

I Since the period of the Conquest. 
6 



62 



HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 



Then jester,* fool,f and juggler,! gave 

To king and court delight, 
And chivalry about that time 

Attained its greatest height. 

Then the first English traveller 

Of any note we find, 
The learned Sir John Mandeville, 

Accomplished and refined. 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



John XXII. . . . 


1316 


Benedict XI.. . . 


1334 


Clement VI.. . . 


1342 


Innocent VI. . . 


1352 


Urban V 


1362 


Gregory XI. . . . 


1370 


Emperors of the 


East. 


Andronicus III. 


1320 



John V 1341 

John VI 1355 



Emperors of the West. 
a. D. 

Louis IV 1314 

Charles IV 1347 

Kings of France. 

Charles IV 1322 

Philip VI 1328 

John 1 1353 

Charles V 1364 

Kings of Portugal. 
Alphonsus IV.. . 1325 

Pedro 1 1357 

Ferdinand I 1367 



Kings of Denmark. 

A. D. 

Christopher II... 1319 
Waldemar III. . . 1340 
Olaus III 1375 

Kings of Sweden. 

Magnus III 1320 

Albert 1363 

Kings of Scotland. 
Robert Bruce . . . 1306 

David II 1330 

Edward Baliol.. 1332 
David II. (restor.) 1342 
Robert (Stuart) . 1370 



* In some ancient works a jester is described as a witty and jocose 
person, kept by princes to inform them of their faults, and of those 
of other men, under the disguise of a waggish story. Many of the 
English kings kept jesters and fools. There was a jester at court 
in the reign of James I., but we hear of no licensed jester afterwards. 

f The dress of the fool was of many colours, and ornamented with 
little sheep-bells, which, like bells of the old women in the nursery- 
song, made music wherever he went. 

% Jugglers were a class of itinerant players, who played and per- 



INVERSE. 63 

RICHARD II. 



1377—1399. 22 YEARS. 



The duke of Gloucester,* duke of York, 
And the famed John of Gaunt, 

With private feuds and public wars 
Reduced the land to want. 

A "poll-tax," levied on each one 

O'er fifteen years of age, 
Was brutally enforced, and then 

Burst forth the people's rage. 

By long oppression goaded on, 

They rose in arms to claim, 
(Led by Wat Tyler and Jack Shaw,) 

The freeman's rights and name.f 

Charters were given, but annulled 

When quiet was restored, 
And each returned to villanagej 

Under his feudal lord. 

formed ridiculous feats in the king's palace and noblemen's hall, for 
the entertainment of their guests. They were sometimes elevated 
upon carts in the public streets, that the poorer people might have 
the benefit of their exhibitions. 

* Pronounced Glossier. 

f When asked by the king what they wanted, they replied, "The 
freedom of ourselves and our children." 

X The slaves held under the feudal system were called "villains." 



64 



HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 



King Richard seized on lands to which 
Hereford* was rightful heir; 

But while away in Ireland, 
Quelling disturbance there, 

Hereford returned from banishment, 
Gathered his friends around, 

And Richard was deposed, and he 
As ' Henry Fourth" was crowned. 

Chaucer and Gower, often styled 
"Fathers of English song," 

And Wickliffe, the reformer bold,f 
Unto this time belong. 





CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 


Popes. 




Kings of France. 


Queen of Sweden. 


Gregory XI. . . . 


. 1370 


Charles V 1364 


A. D. 

Margaret held 


Urban VI 


. 1378 


Charles VI 1380 


Sweden with 


Boniface IX.. . . 


. 1389 


Kings of Portugal. 


Denmark 1397 


Emperors of the 


East. 


Ferdinand 1367 




John VI 


. 1355 


John 1 1385 


Kings of Scotland. 


Emanuel II. . . . 


. 1391 




Robert II 1370 






King and Queen of 


Robert III 1390 


Emperors of the 


West. 


Denmark. 




Charles IV. . . . 


. 1347 


Olaus III 1375 




Winceslaus . . . 


. 1378 


Margaret 13S5 





* Henry, earl of Hereford, was the oldest son and heir of John 
of Gaunt, duke of Lancaster. 

f Professor of divinity in the University of Oxford. He was 
called the morning star of the Reformation. He was the first who 
opposed the authority of the pope, the jurisdiction of the bishops, and 
the temporalities of the church. — Mortimer. 



INVERSE. 65 



BRANCH OF LANCASTER. — 3 KINGS. 



1399—1461. 60 YEAES. 



HENRY IV., BOLINGBROKE. 



-1413. 14 YEARS. 



When Henry gained the throne, to which 

He had no rightful claim,* 
Scarce one conspiracy was crushed 

Before another came. 

Northumberland the English led; 

The Scotch and Welsh arose ; 
At Shrewsbury they met the king, 

Who triumphed o'er his foes. 

There Douglas fought and Percy fell — 
Heroes renowned in story — 

But round their heads a halo rests, 
Simply of martial glory. 

The people still resolved to place 
The crown on Edward's head, 

# After the deposition of Richard, Edmund Mortimer was the true 
heir. 

6* 



G6 HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 

1405. And Henry quelled another force, 
By York's Archbishop led.* 

Victor at length, he strove to please 

The people more and more, 
And to the House of Commons gave 

A power unknown before. 

Then first the persecution of 

The Wickliffites began; 
He was the first of England's kings 

Who gave his brother man 

To scaffold or to flame, if found 

To hold another creed 
From that which he thought right, or deemed 

Sufficient for his need. 

And he detained the Scottish prince, 
(James First,) a captive long, 

But the dark prison hours he soothed 
With musicf and with song. 

These songs have come to us, and place 
James First of Scotland's name 

Among the lyrists of the time, 
High on the scroll of fame. 

* Scroop. He was beheaded, and this was the first time in Eng- 
land that the penalty of death was inflicted upon a bishop. 

f He is said to have been the first who reduced the wild, sweet 
melody of Scotland to the rules of composition. 



IN VERSE. 



67 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Popes. 



Boniface IX 1389 

Innocent VII 1404 

Gregory XII. , . . 1406 

Alexander V 1409 

John XXIII 1410 

EMPEROR OF THE EAST. 

Emanuel II 1391 



Emperors of the West, 
a. D. 

Winceslaus 1378 

Robert Le Pet . . 1400 

Sigisrhund 1410 

King of France. 

Charles VI 1380 

King of Portugal. 
John 1 1385 



King and Queen of 

Denmark and Sweden. 



Margaret . 
Eric XIII. 



1385 
, 1411 



King of Scotland. 
Robert III. .... . 1390 



HENRY V. 



1413—1422. 



YEARS. 



Henry maintained the claim to France 
By bold and desperate war, 

And gained a bloody victory on 
The field of Agineourt : 

Look Normandy and part of France, 
Married its princess there, 

Was regent of the realm proclaimed, 
And to its throne the heir.* 



* About this time, to the dark, grim stone castle of the feudal 
days, succeeded the brighter and more hospitable-looking mansion, 
built of timber, plastered without, and richly carved within. On 



68 



HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 



John XXIII 1410 

Martin V 1417 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS, 

Emperor of the West. 

a. D. 

Sigismund 1410 



Emperor of the East. 
Emanuel II. ... . 1394 



King of France. 
Charles VI. .... 1380 

King of Portugal. 
John I 1385 



King of Denmark and 
Sweden. 



Eric XIII 1411 

King of Scotland. 
Robert III 1390 



HENRY VI. 



1422—1461. 39 YEARS. 



Henry, of England and of France 
The monarch was proclaimed, 

And Gloucester's duke and Bedford's duke 
His guardians were named. 



an elevated portion, (called the dais,) in the large and scantily-fur- 
nished hall, the host feasted his numerous guests. The dancers 
danced, the minstrel played, the jester told his story, and the juggler 
performed his feats for their entertainment. Above them perched 
the hawks ; below them, the dogs quarrelled for the bones which 
were thrown them ; the servants shouted and screamed in their 
boisterous merriment, and after devouring their portion of the feast, 
carried the remainder to the poor, who, in eager expectation, crowded 
around the gates to receive it. 



IN VERSE. 69 

Had England conquered Orleans, then 
All France had been her own, 

But she was forced to raise the siege 
By the intrepid Joan. 

Thus "Joan of Arc"* her country saved.; 

And at no distant day, 
England lost all she owned in France, 

Save Guienne and Calais. 

Joan crowned the king at Rheims ; but when 

The chance of battle turned, 
She fell among the English, and 

For witchcraft she was burned. f 

Now Richard, duke of York, arose 
To claim the English throne ; 

The "wars of York and Lancaster" j 
Sprang from this cause alone. 

* Joan of Arc was a servant in Neufchatel, in Lorraine. She 
imagined herself delegated by God to raise the siege of Orleans, 
and to restore to Charles the kingdom of his ancestors. She was 
taken at the siege of Compigne by the English, and burnt for a 
witch, in the 29th year of her age. 

f Charles, whom she had just crowned, made no effort to save her. 
The French soldiers were jealous of her; and when a party which 
she headed were repulsed, near Compigne, and retreated into the 
town, the governor shut her out, and she fell into the hands of the 
English. 

| These wars were also styled " The Wars of the Two Roses." 
The white rose was the symbol of the house of York ; the red, of 



70 HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 

From Lionel, the second son 

Of Edward Third, he came ; 
From the third son of Edward Third 

Was the sixth Henry's claim. 

In fourteen hundred fifty-five 

Was the first battle fought ; 
'Twas at St. Albans, and the duke 

Of York the conquest wrought. 

The king was captured, but his queen 
The bloody strife maintained; 

At WaJcefield, o'er the duke of York, 
The victory she gained. 

He died ; but Edward, his young son, 

Was the next victor named ; 
Then entering London, amid shouts 

He was the king proclaimed. 

The house of Lancaster, to keep 

Possession of the throne, 
Conferred on parliament a power 

Before that time unknown. 

that of Lancaster. It seems like desecrating- these beautiful flowers 
to connect them, even in thought, with anything so sanguinary and 
God-defying as war! 



IN VEKSE. 



71 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Popes. 

a. D. 

Martin V 1417 

Eugemus IV 1431 

Nicholas V 1447 

Calixtus III 1455 

Pius II 1458 

ExMPERORS OF THE WEST. 

Sigismund 1410 

Albert II 1438 

Frederick III. . . 1440 

Emperors of the East. 

Emanuel II 1391 

John VII 1429 



Constantine III., 
and last Chris- 
tian emperor, 
succeeded by 
bis conqueror, 
Mahomet II., 
who took Con- 
stantinople by 
storm, May 29, 1453 

Kings of France. 

Charles VII 1452 

Louis XI 1461 



Kings of Portugal. 

A. D. 

John 1 1385 

Edward 1433 

Alphonsus V. ... 1438 

Kings of Scotland. 

Robert III 1390 

James 1 1424 

James II 1437 

James III 1460 

Kings of Denmark and 
Sweden. 

Eric IX 14 LI 

Christopher III. . 1439 
Christian 1 1448 



HOUSE OF YORK.— 3 KINGS. 



EDWAED IV. 



Reigned from March 5th, 1461, to April 9th, 1483. 22 Years. 



Yet still was Edward insecure 
Upon the English throne ; 

The Towton battle he had gained 
In fourteen sixtj-one. 



72 HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 

And more than forty thousand men 

Fell on the field that day, 
And they were husbands, fathers, sons, 

That dead and dying lay. 

The war of the twin roses still 
Raged wildly in this reign — 

The Lancasterians would now, 
And now the Yorkists gain. 

But Margaret, for the infant prince, 

Urged the fierce battles on, 
Until at Tewkesbury subdued, 

In fourteen seventy-one. 

Henry was murdered, the young prince 

Slain by the noble's lance, 
The captive Margaret ransomed by 

Louis, the king of France. 

And thus the bloody contest closed, 
Which had for sixteen years 

Deluged the land with human blood, 
And watered it with tears. 

But an achievement worthier note 

In seventy-one was wrought, 
For Caxton into England then 

The art of printing brought.* 

* To the west of the sanctuary in Westminster Abbey stood the 
Eleemosynary or Almonry, where the first printing-press in England 



IN VERSE. 



73 



About this time the fisheries 
First into notice came ; 

Commerce extended, opening thus 
The surest road to fame.* 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Popes. 

Pius II 1458 

Paul II 1464 

Sextus IV 1471 

Emperor of Germany . 
Frederick III. . . 1440 



Emperors of the Turks, 
a. D. 

Mahomet II 1453 

Bajazetll 1481 

King of France. 
Louis XI ... 1461 

Kings of Portugal. 
Alphonsus V.. . . 1438 
John II 1481 



Kings of Denmark and 
Sweden. 

a. D. 

Christian 1 1448 

John 1 1481 

King of Scotland. 
James III 1460 



was erected, in 1471, by William Caxton, encouraged by the 
learned Thomas Milling, then abbot. He published "The Game 
and Play of the Chesse," the first book ever printed in Great Britain. 
The title was, "The Game and Play of the Chesse. Translated out 
of the Frenche, and emprynted by me, William Caxton, Fynysshire, 
the last day of Marche, the yer of our Lord God a thousand four 
hundred and Ixxiiij." — Leigh. 

* From 1462 until the present reign, a ridiculous fashion for dress- 
ing the feet prevailed among the people. The points of the shoes 
were so long, that, when walking, the wearers were obliged to tie 
them to their knees. Some were tied with laces, but the most 
wealthy gentlemen used silver chains. 

7 



74 



HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 



EDWARD Y. 



1483—1483. 3 MONTHS. 



Young Edward and his brother were 
Both smothered in their bed 

By Richard, Gloucester's duke, who aimed 
To fill the throne instead. 



Pope. 

A. D. 

SextusIV 1471 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS 

Emperor of the Turks. 

a. D. 

Bajazet II 1481 



Emperor of Germany. 
Frederick III.... 1440 



King of Denmark and 
Sweden. 



King of France. 
Charles VIII.... 1483 

King of Portugal. 
John II 1481 



John 14S1 

King of Scotland. 
James III 14G0 



RICHARD III. 



1483—1485. 2 YEARS. 



When Gloucester's duke, as Richard Third, 
Was king of England known, 

Then Henry Tudor, Richmond's earl, 
Strove to obtain the throne. 



INVERSE. 75 

The Welsh around the Tudor thronged, 

And upon Bosworth field, 
In fourteen hundred eighty-five, 

The king was forced to yield. 

Unhonoured and unloved, he fell 

Amid the desperate fray: 
The wars of York and Lancaster - 

Were ended from that day. 

He was the last Plantagenet 

Who sat upon the throne, 
Which, for three hundred thirty years, 

Was filled by them alone. 

For thirty years these civil wars 

Had ravaged wide the land, 
Producing, as war alivays must, 

Crime upon every hand. 

One hundred eighty thousand men 

Had fallen in the strife — 
One hundred eighty thousand men 

By men deprived of life. 

And for the trade of killing men, 

All else had been resigned; 
Commerce and letters, and the arts, 

Had everywhere declined. 



76 



HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Sextus IV 1471 

Innocent VIII. . . 1484 



Emperor of Germany. 
Frederick II 1440 



Emperor of the Turks, 
a. D. 

Bajazet II 1481 

King of France. 
Charles VIII.... 1483 

King of Portugal. 
John II 1481 



King of Denmark and 
Sweden. 



John . 



King of Scotland. 
James III 1460 



HOUSE OF TUDOR. — 5 KINGS. 



HENRY VII. 



1485—1509. 24 YEARS. 



In Henry Seventh's marriage, were 

The houses both combined;* 
But hatred unto that of York 

Was rooted in his mind. 

And from the mass two men arose 

In kingly rivalry : 
A Perkin Warbeck,f who professed 

The duke of York to be; 

* He married a princess of the house of York. 

f Said to be the son of a converted Jew. He was elegant in his 
manners, and strongly resembled the Plantagenets. James IV. of 
Scotland married him to Lady Catherine Douglas, one of the most 
accomplished women of Scotland. 



INVERSE. 77 

And Lambert Simnel,* who assumed 
The earl of Warwick's name. 

Some of the nobles urged the one, 
And some the other claim. 

"YYarbeck, surrounded by a force 

The Scottish king supplied, 
Met Henry's troops, but was subdued, 

And, for his treason, died. 

Yet still cabals were multiplied ; 

Still insurrections rose ; 
But Henry, at the last, obtained 

A triumph o'er his foes. 

Although his fault was avarice, f 

His reign with good was rife ; 
He to a warlike people taught 

The useful arts of life; 

Commerce and industry sustained — 
Varied improvements planned ; 

* The son of a baker. He was pardoned, and made a scullion in 
the king's kitchen. 

f Avarice prompted him to oppressive exactions. He is said to 
have left, at his death, a sum of money, which would be equal, at 
the present time, to £10,000,000. Still he taught the people fru- 
gality, and, by precept and example, the equitable payment of 
debts. 

7* 



78 HISTORY OP ENGLAND, 

And John Cabot* equipped, who then 
Discovered Newfoundland. f 

And he curtailed the nobles' claim — 
He raised the mass of men — 

And feudalism, tottering long, 
Received its death-blow then. J 

* A merchant of Venice. Henry furnished him with a fleet of 
ships. 

f He named it Prima vista (first seen). 

% Every town had been built in the neighbourhood of some great 
castle; partly that the soldiers, always kept there ready armed, 
might protect the inhabitants from the robbers who lurked in the 
woods by day, and haunted the open country by night ; and partly 
because there dwelt the wealthiest of the land — the largest con- 
sumers of their produce. Henry restored law and order, and en- 
couraged the people to build in situations which presented greater 
opportunities for commerce, to which he endeavoured to direct their 
attention. 

He lessened the strictness of entail ; and this enabled the nobles 
to sell their estates, many of which were purchased by wealthy 
commoners. Others received rent for their lands and cottages, in 
place of military service, and thus from villains the people became 
tenants, — from being merely followers of their lords to battle, idle 
dependents upon them in time of peace, they became independent, 
industrious citizens, and useful subjects. The army was now paid 
by the government. Thus, by various means, were the privileges 
of the nobles restricted, the people elevated, and feudalism abolished. 



IN VERSE. 



79 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



1484 
1492 
1503 



Popes. 

Innocent VIII. 
Alexander VI. 

Pius III 

Julius III 1503 

Emperors of Germany. 
Frederick II. . . . 1440 
Maximilian I. . . 1493 



Emperor of the Turks. 

A. D. 

Bajazet II 1481 

Kings of France. 
Charles VIII. ... 1483 
Louis XII 1498 

King and Queen of 
Spain. 
Ferdinand the 
Catholic and 
Isabella 1475 



Kings of Portugal. 

A. D. 

John II 1481 

Emanuel 1495 



John . 



Kings of Scotland. 

James III 1460 

James IV 1489 



HENRY VIII. 



1509—1547. 



Henry unto his father's throne 
With fairest prospects came; 

The land at peace, the treasury full, 
And none to doubt his claim. 

But quickly he invaded France, 
And soon, on " Flodden field" 

His general, earl of Surrey, forced 
The Scottish James to yield. 

He took part in the frequent wars 
Of Germany and France, 



80 HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 

And wasted treasure in the show 
Of tournament and lance.* 

Capricious and tyrannical, 

His minister or wifef 
One moment high in favour was, 

The next, deprived of life. 

The pope opposing a divorce, 

He claimed himself to be 
Head of the Church, and set at naught 

The pope's supremacy. 

Defending now the ancient faith, 

Upholding now the new, 
He burned those who, on either side, 

Pronounced his faith untrue. 

* A celebrated meeting occurred between Henry VIII. and 
Francis I. of France near Calais, June, 1520. The nobility of both 
kingdoms displayed their magnificence with such emulation and 
profuse expense, as procured for the place of interview (an open 
plain) the name of " The Field of the Cloth of Gold." Twenty- 
eight hundred tents were pitched, mostly covered. with silk or cloth 
of gold. "Many of the nobility involved themselves in heavy debts, 
and were unable, by the penury of the rest of their lives, to repair 
the vain splendor of a few days." — Haydn. Upon this occasion, 
Francis addressed Henry as " Your Majesty," which was the first 
time the title was applied to an English sovereign. It originated 
among the Romans. James I. coupled it with "Sacred" and "Most 
Excellent." 

f This tyrant had six wives. He divorced two, caused two to be 
executed, one died, and the last survived him. 



• INVERSE. 81 

The monasteries lie dissolved — 

Their revenues he seized — 
And he beheaded those who dared 

Deny his right to these. 

Because of this, Sir Thomas More, 

And Earl of Surrey died ; 
Though, famed in letters, they had long 

Been England's joy and pride. 

Wolsey, the minister and priest, 

Eor arts and letters known, 
Opposing Henry's will, was from 

His lofty station thrown. 

Henry, unawed by parliament, 

Imposed a grievous tax ; 
But the roused nation summoned him 

To answer for his acts. 

The art of painting, at this time, 

He into notice brought ; 
Holbein he patronised, and called 

Titian unto his court. 

In this reign Hampton Court* was built ; 
The spinning-wheel first used; 

* Hampton Court was built by Cardinal Wolsey, and presented by 
him, in 1526, to King- Henry. 



82 HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 

And the first map of England drawn ; 
And hats first introduced.* 

Then was the first compulsory law,f 

The suffering poor to aid, 
And first in fifteen forty-six 

Was legal interest paid. J 

And then, suspended from the waist, 
The looking-glass was seen;§ 

Then were pins introduced, || and used 
By Catherine, the queen. 

* Hats were first manufactured in England by the Spaniards, in 
1510; before that time, both men and women wore close, knit, 
woollen caps. — Stowe. 

f When the monasteries were dissolved, vast numbers of poor, who 
had been in the practice of receiving their daily food at the gates, 
were thrown abroad upon the world, unfed and uncared for, and this 
produced the immediate necessity for a tax for their maintenance. 

X It was fixed at 10 per cent, per annum. 

| These were at first very small, and either carried in the pockets 
of the ladies, or suspended from their girdles. 

j| They were made of brass wire, and were brought from France 
in 1540. They were first used in England, it is said, by Catherine 
Howard, queen of Henry VIII. Before the invention of pins, both 
sexes used ribands, loop-holes, laces, with points and tags, clasps, 
hooks and eyes, and skewers of brass, silver, and gold. They were 
made in England in 1543. — Stowe. 



IN VERSE. 



83 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Popes. 

a. D. 

Julius IT 1503 

Leo X 1513 

Adrian VI 1522 

Clement VII 1523 

Paul III 1534 

Emper.ors of Germany. 
Maximilian I. . . 1493 
Charles V 1516 

Emperors of the Turks. 

Bajazet II 1481 

SelimI 1512 

Soliman II 1520 



Kings of France. 

A. D. 

Louis XII 1498 

Francis 1 1515 

Kings and Queen of 
Spain. 

Philip 1 1504 

Joan 1506 

Charles 1 1516 

Kings of Portugal. 

Emanuel 1495 

John III 1521 

Kings of Denmark and 

Sweden. 

John 1481 

Christian II 1513 



Kings of Denmark. 
{Alone.) 

A. D. 

Frederick 1 1524 

Christian III 1534 

King of Sweden. 

{Alone.) 

GustavusVasa. . 1522 

Kings and Queen of 
Scotland. 

James IV 1489 

James V 1514 

Mary 1542 



EDWARD VI. 



1547—1553. 



In the short reign of Edward Sixth 

The new religion gained 
Many adherents in the land, 

Though blood its garments stained. 



It was advanced by Somerset's, 
But most by Cranmer's aid; 



84 HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 

Cranmer prepared the creed from which 
The present creed is made.* 

The dwellings of that day had floors 

Composed of clay alone, 
But in the mansions of the rich 

They were with rushes strown. 

And in those halls of luxury 

Were chimneys also found, 
While the more common people built 

Their fires upon the ground. 

Edward, despite his sister's claims, 
Had signed his crown away, 

Urged by Northumberland's bold duke, 
To Jane, the Lady Grey.f 

Jane, simple, truthful, learned, and wise, 
Sought not an earthly throne ; 

Her higher aim had been to wear 
The Christian's crown alone. 

* He drew up forty-two articles, from which, with some altera- 
tions, the present Thirty-nine Articles which form the Liturgy of 
the Episcopal church were formed. They were approved and con- 
firmed by parliament, 1547-8. 

f Grand-daughter to a sister of Henry VIII. She was versed in 
Latin, Hebrew, Chaldee, Arabic, French, and Italian. Fuller says, 
" She had the innocency of childhood, the beauty of youth, the 
solidity of middle, the gravity of old age, and all at eighteen!" 



IN TERSE. 



85 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Paul III 1534 

Julius III 1550 



Emperor of Germany 
and King of Spain. 

Charles V .. 1516 



Emperor of the Turks. 
a. D. 

Solimanll 1520 

King of France. 
Henry II 1547 

King of Portugal. 
John III 1521 



King of Denmark. 

A. D. 

Christian III ... 1534 

King of Sweden. 
Gustavus Vasa. . 1522 

Queen of Scotland. 
Mary 1542 



MARY. 



1553—1558. 5 YEARS. 



Lady Jane Grey, by wily men 
Forced to ascend the throne, 

Filled it ten days, when Mary came 
And claimed it as her own. 

Jane and her youthful husband died 
By Mary's stern command, 

Who, maddened with a bigot zeal, 
Ruled tyrant in the land. 

She brought the English church again 

Within the papal see; 
More than three hundred protestants 

She burned for heresy. 



86 HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 

Cranmer and Latimer were burned, 

Ridley and Rogers, too ; 
But the spirit of the rising faith 

No power could e'er subdue.* 

Forced by her husband, king of Spain, 

Into a foreign war, 
She lost Calais, held by the crown 

Two hundred years and more. 

Then drinking-cups of glass were made ; 

Then neediest brought from Spain ; 
But little did the arts advance 

In Mary's troubled reign. 

* It has been estimated that, in addition to those who suffered 
from imprisonment, fines, and confiscation, two hundred and seventy- 
seven persons were burned to death. Among these, were forty-five 
women and four children. 

f They were considered of more value than silver. " The first 
that were made in England were fabricated in Cheapside, London, 
in the time of Mary, by a negro from Spain ; but, as he would not 
impart the secret, it was lost at his death, and not recovered again 
till 1566, in the reign of Elizabeth, when Elias Growse, a German, 
taught the art to the English, who have since brought it to the 
highest degree of perfection." — Stowe. 



IN VERSE. 



87 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Popes. 



Julius III 1550 

MarcellusIIL... 1555 
Paul IV 1555 

Emperor of Germany. 

Charles V 1519 

Emperor of the Turks. 
Soliman II 1520 



King of France. 

A. D. 

Henry II 1547 

King of Spain. 



King of Denmark. 

A. D. 

Frederick II 1549 

King of Sweden. 



Philip II 1555 Gustavus Vasa. . 152 



King of Portugal. 
John III 1521 



Queen of Scotland. 
Mary 1542 



ELIZABETH. 



1558—1603. 45 YEARS. 



"Our good Queen Bess," the English say, 

Hers was a glorious age ! 
In England's annals never yet 

Had been so bright a page. 

There Shakspeare, the great dramatist, 

Spenser, the poet, shine; 
And Bacon, the philosopher, 

And Hooker, the divine ; 

There Hawkins,* Drake,* and Frobisher,* 
There Walsinghamf and Burleigh, f 



* Distinguished navigators. 



• Distinguished statesmen. 



88 HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 

Ben Jonson,* Fletcher,* and Beaumont,* 
Sidneyf and Walter Raleigh.J 

Then agriculture, commerce, arts, 

And legislation, gained 
Greater importance in the land 

Than they had yet attained. 

Then first in India were formed 

Establishments for trade ; 
Of the East India Company 

These the foundation laid. 

At this time England's exports were 

Confined to wool alone ; 
Then knives were made ;§ brick buildings then 

Replaced the wood and stone. || 

Then clocks and watches first were seen ;** 

Post-offices first used ; 
First paper-mill and first coach built ;ff 

Potatoes introduced. 

* Poets and dramatists. f An accomplished officer and author. 

X A man illustrious in arms and literature. He was called " the 
soldier, the sailor, the scholar, the philosopher, the poet, the orator, 
the historian, the courtier." § 1560. 

|| 1598. Elizabeth decreed that the city should not go beyond 
three miles of the city gates, and that there should be no more than 
one family in a house. ** Introduced from Germany. 

ff They were first called Whirlicotes. A bill was introduced 
into parliament to prevent men from riding in coaches, because it 
was considered too effeminate. 



INVERSE. 89 

Then choc'late, and tobacco, too, 
Fans and false hair, were bought ; 

The coin reduced to standard weight, 
And spoons of silver wrought. 

Elizabeth the villains* freed 

In all the western land, 
Speeding the day when no white slave 

On England's soil should stand. 

But at this very time their trade 

In negro slaves began; 
From Africa they stole and sold 

Their helpless fellow man.f 

The Protestant religion was 

Established in this reign; 
The " Church of England" took the form 

That it doth still retain.J 

The " Invincible Armada," though 
It caused alarm at first, 

* Slaves. 

f Captain, afterwards Sir John Hawkins, has the unenviable fame 
of being the first Englishman, after the discovery of America, who 
made a traffic of the human species. — Haydn. 

\ 1562. There were forty-two articles in the creed prepared in 
the reign of Edward VI. ; they were now reduced to the present 
thirty-nine. A further revision took place in 1571, but no important 
alterations were made. 



90 HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 

By England's admirals was met, 
And conquered and dispersed.* 

It was the largest armament 

That Europe yet had seen; 
'Twas sent by Spain to crush the church, 

And to subdue the queen. 

Elizabeth has fixed a stain 

Eternal on her name: 
Jealous of Mary, queen of Scots, 

Her beauty and her fame, 

And fearful that unto the throne 

Her rival might succeed, 
For years she kept her prisoner, 

And then her death decreed. 

The Irish conquest, which commenced 

Four hundred years before, 
By Mountjoy was completed, when 

This reign was nearly o'er. 

The peace of England was preserved, 

With all around at war, 
And, as a nation, it became 

Respected near and far. 

* A storm, which drove many of the Spanish ships on the coast of 
Zealand, completed the discomfiture. 



IN VERSE. 



91 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Popes. 

a. D. 

Paul IV 1555 

Pius IV 1559 

Pius V 1565 

Gregory XIII. .. . 1572 

Sextus V 1585 

Urban VII 1590 

Gregory XIV... 1590 

Innocent IX 1591 

Clement VIII. .. 1592 

EjirERORs of Germany. 
Ferdinand I. . . . 1558 
Maximilian II.. . 1564 
Rodolphus II.... 1576 

Emperors of the Tdrks. 
Soliman II 1520 



Selim II 1566 

Amurathlll. ... 1574 
Mahomet III 1595 

Kings of France. 

Henry II 1547 

Francis II 1559 

Charles IX 1560 

Henry III 1574 

Henry IV 1589 

King of Spain. 
Philip II 1555 

Kings of Portugal. 
Sebastian ...... 1557 

Henry 1579 



Union of Spain and 
Portugal. 

A. D. 

Philip II 1580 

Philip III 1597 

Kings of Denmark. 

Christian IV 1558 

Frederick II.... 1559 

Kings of Sweden. 

EricX 1556 

John III 1569 

Sigismund 1592 

Queen and King of 
Scotland. 

Mary 1542 

James VI 1567 



STUAET FAMILY. — 6 KINGS. 



JAMES I. 



1603—1625. 22 YEARS. 



James Sixth of Scotland, Mary's son, 

Elizabeth had named 
To fill the throne of England, too, 

And he was king proclaimed. 



92 HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 

Raleigh, suspected of a plan 

Upon the hrone to place 
Young Arabella Stuart,* who 

Was of the royal race, 

Was long imprisoned, then reprieved, 

And after years passed by, 
On insufficient evidence, 

He was condemned to die. 

James and his parliament were found 

Supporting the new faith, 
And the " Gunpowder Plot" was formed 

For putting them to death. 

For then 'twas hoped the church of Rome 

Again might bear the rule ; 
Catesby and Percy formed the plot, 

And Guy Fawkes was their tool. 

In Mary's reign the Puritans 

First into notice grew; 
In the old world oppressed, they sought 

A refuge in the new. 

Their wrongs, the controversies, too, 

In which they bore a part, 
Sowed the rich seeds of liberty 

Deep in the nation's heart. 

* Great-grand-daughter of Henry VII., and. after Mary, queen of 
Scots, the nearest heir to the throne. 



INVERSE. 93 

The people had awakened now, 

And questioned if there be 
A Right Divine* in kings to claim 

Undoubted sovereignty. 

The king sought funds from parliament, 

His favourites to please ; 
For every sum bestowed, it claimed 

Redress of grievances. 

As wars were few, taxes were few, 

Soldiers were idle men, 
And farmers richer than the earls 

Of Henry Seventh's reign. 

The Bible was translated then, 

As 'tis at present used; 
Then first the Roman characters 

In printing introduced. 

Newspapers were established first 
In sixteen sixty-two ;f 

* The divine right of kings to rule, and the passive obedience of 
subjects, was a favourite and warmly-contested doctrine of the 
Stuarts. 

f Mr. Watts, of the British Museum, (1850,) says that the first 
English paper was the " Weekley Newes," published by Nathaniel 
Butler in 1662. 

A paper was circulated in the reign of Elizabeth ; but it was 
merely to convey the intelligence of the defeat of the Spanish 



94 HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 

A school to teach anatomy 
From Hunt's exertions grew. 



The circulation of the blood 
Was then by Harvey shown; 

The power of electricity 

By Gilbert was made known. 

The art of dyeing woollen cloth 

From Holland introduced; 
Thermometers* and compassf made, 

And table-fork first used. 

James greater good for Ireland wrought, 
In the short time he reigned, 

Than England had accomplished, since 
The country was obtained. 

Armada. The full title was, — "No. 50. The English Mercurie, 
published by authoritie, for the prevention of false reports, imprinted 
by Christopher Barker, her Highness' printer, No. 50. . A journall 
of what passed since the 21st of this month between her Majestie's 
fleet and that of Spayne, transmitted by the Lord Highe Admirale 
to the Lordes of Council." — World's Progress. 

* Invented, 1608, by William Barlowe. 

f Invented, 1620, by Drebel. 



IN YEESE. 



95 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Popes. 



Clement VIII. . . 1592 

Leo XI 1605 

Paul V 1605 

Gregory XV. ... 1621 
Urban VIII 1623 

Emperors of Germany. 

Rodolphus II.... 1576 

Matthias 1 1612 

Ferdinand II. . . 1619 



Emperors of the Tdrks. 
a. D. 

Achmetl 1603 

Mustapha 1 1617 

Osman 1618 

Mustapha I. res. 1622 
Amurath IV 1623 

Kings of France. 

Henry IV 1589 

Louis XIII 1610 



Kings of Spain and 
Portugal. 

a. D. 

Philip III 1597 

Philip IV 1621 

King of Denmark. 
Christian IV 1588 

Kings of Sweden. 

Sigismund 1592 

Charles IX 1600 

Gustavus II 1611 



CHARLES I. 



1625—1649. 24 YEARS. 



The troubled reign of Charles the First 

Was but a ceaseless strife 
'Twixt royalty and parliament, 

Each struggling for its life. 

The parliament refused supplies 
For wars that Charles had made, 

And he dissolved it, threatening 
To act without its aid. 

A tax, "tonnage and poundage" called, 
And "ship-money," he raised, 

And then the fire of discontent 
Throughout the country blazed. 



96 HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 

Hampden, refusing the demand, 

In prison was confined, 
But the more fully did his wrongs 

Arouse the public mind. 

The church of England, verging now 

Unto a faith more pure, 
By Laud* was loaded with such forms 

As it could ill endure. 

And on the Scottish church he forced 

The English Liturgy; 
But everywhere the people rose, 

Determined to be free. 

A " solemn league and covenant"f 
Was signed by high and low; 

To arms they rushed, and Charles implored 
Aid to repel the blow. 

But parliament confined itself 

Unto its wrongs alone ; 
At first it would but limit him, 

Now would upset the throne. 

Cromwell and Hampden, Pym and Vane, 
Were foremost in the strife; 

* Archbishop of Canterbury. 

f Those who signed it were called Covenanters ; they were of 
both sexes, and of all ages. 



IN VERSE. 97 

Laud and Earl Strafford were impeached, 
And both deprived of life.* 

In sixteen hundred forty-two 

Commenced a civil war, 
And in five years the royalists 

Succumbed on Marston Moor. 

A parliament, which Cromwell "purged,"f 
Then sentenced Charles to die, 

And through the nation's heart there ran 
A thrill of sympathy. 

The Quakers then arose amid 

The turmoil and the strife, 
Calling the people from the world 

Unto a holy life. 

For the unfaltering maintenance 

Of their religious faith, 
They suffered contumely and stripes, 

Imprisonment and death. J 

* The supporters of the king- were called Cavaliers ; those of the 
parliament, Roundheads — a name given in derision by their oppo- 
nents, from the fact that the hair of many of their prominent mem- 
bers was closely cropped, in contradistinction to the fashion of the 
day. A bowl was put on the head, and the hair cut along the brim 
of it. 

f He expelled the Presbyterians, and called this " Purging the 
'parliament.''' 1 After this, it was called the " Rump parliament " 

% It is calculated that forty thousand of this sect died during their 

9 



98 HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 

Fox was the founder of the sect, 
And preached its simple creed — 

A teacher, fearless in the truth, 
And pure in thought and deed. 

In this reign, Donne* and Drayton* lived ; 

Quarles,* Fuller, f Barrow, f Taylor, f 
SeldonJ and Coke,§ and Walton, too, 

The philosophic angler. 

Then was the first post-mail ; || it took 

Letters one day in seven ; 
Then the Star-Chamber court^f dissolved, 

Which great offence had given. 

imprisonment, in consequence of the filth and malaria of the jails, 
added to cruel treatment. — Lord's Modern History. 

* Poets. f Theologians. 

X Antiquarian, historian, jurist. \ Distinguished jurist. 

|| Established by Charles the First. It ran between London and 
Edinburgh. 

% The " Court of the Star-Chamber and High Commission" was 
instituted for trials by a committee of the privy council, during the 
reign of Henry VII., in the year 1487. In the reign of Charles I., 
its arbitrary exactions rendered it odious to the people, and it was 
abolished by Cromwell's parliament. Coke says, "It probably re- 
ceived its name from its roof being garnished with stars." Gold- 
smith tells us, "It was so called from the starra, or Jewish covenants, 
deposited there by order of Richard I. No star was admitted as 
valid, unless found in this depository, and here they remained until 
the banishment of -the Jews by Edward I." 



INT VERSE. 



99 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Urban VIII 1623 

Innocent X 1644 

Emperors of Germany. 
Ferdinand II.... 1619 
Ferdinand III. .. 1637 



Emperors of the Turks, 
a. D. 

Amurath IV... 1623 

Ibrahim 1649 

Mahomet IV. .. . 1649 

Kings of France. 

Louis XIII 1610 

Louis XIV 1643 



King of Spain and 
Portugal. 

a. D. 

Philip IV 1621 



King of Portugal. 

{Alone.) 

John IV 1640 



THE COMMONWEALTH. 



1649—1660. 11 YEARS. 



The Presbyterians had fought, 

Determined to be free, 
But now the Independents claimed 

The right of sovereignty. 

The power which the parliament 
Had wrested from the throne, 

At length, by Cromwell's management, 
The army -held alone. 

The Scottish Presbyterians 

Proclaimed Charles Second then, 

And rallied round his standard, with 
Full fourteen thousand men. 



100 HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 

But Cromwell marched his army there, 

Subdued them at Dunbar, 
At Worcester fully conquered them, 

And the prince fled afar. 

The famous "Navigation Act" 
A war with Holland brought ; 

And England conquered, — Penn and Blake 
Against De Ruyter fought. 

When the "Long Parliament"* designed 

The army to reduce, 
Cromwell dissolved it, deeming it 

As of no further use. 

And then the reins of government 

He seized, and held alone ; 
Wisely he ruled, but regally, 

As though upon a throne. 

He called a parliament, though not 

Elected, as of yore, 
And "Praise-God Barebones' Parliament,"! 

Was the strange name it bore. 

It was dissolved, and Cromwell next 

"Protector" claimed to be; 
No monarch was in Europe found 

More powerful than he. 

* It was in session twelve years — hence its name. 
f Named from one of its chief actors. 



IN VERSE. 



101 



At Tunis, Algiers, everywhere, 

He did the victory gain ; 
Jamaica island, and the town 

Of Dunkirk, took from Spain. 

But foes were upon every side, 
E'en in that triumph hour ; 

Republican and royalist 

Rebelled against his power. 

Richard, his son, succeeded him — 

Was inefficient found; 
And next came anarchy, and next 

Was Charles the Second crowned. 

In sixteen hundred fifty-five 
Engines by steam were moved; 

By Worcester's marquis they were made, 
By Yfatt they were improved. 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Innocent X 1644 

Alexander VII... 1655 

Emperors of Germany. 
Ferdinand III... 1637 
Leopold 1658 

Emperor of the Turks. 
Mahomet IV. . . . 1649 

9* 



King of France. 

a. D. 

Louis XIV 1643 

King of Spain. 
Philip IV 1621 

Kings of Portugal. 

John IV 1640 

Alphonso IV... 1656 



King of Denmark. 

a. D. 

Frederick III.... 1648 

King and Queen of 
Sweden. 

Christina 1633 

Charles X 1653 



102 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 



RESTOKATION OF THE STUAETS. 



CHARLES II. 



1660—1685. 25 YEARS. 



Charles, irreligious, profligate, 

And prodigal and vain, 
The monarch's character impressed 

Itself upon his reign. 

"Weary of puritanic gloom, 

Weary of martial rule, 
"High church" or "Tory* principles" 

Was the prevailing school. 

Episcopacy was restored 

Throughout the English land, 
And uniformity in faith 

A statute did command. 

Charles sold Dunkirk,")" and squandered all 

The money thus obtained; 
Warred long and fiercely with the Dutch, 

But no advantage gained. 

* The epithets, Whig and Tory, originated in this reign ; the 
Tories favoured the claims of the crown, the Whigs, those of the 
people. 

f He received for it four hundred thousand pounds. 



IN VERSE. 103 

Dissolved two parliaments, where Whigs 
Had gained the upper hand: 

Plots, intrigues, and conspiracies, 
Were rife throughout the land. 

The people, fearing Catholic 

Would be the ruling faith, 
For a pretended " Popish Plot," 

Stafford was put to death. 

And of the " Rye-House Plot," a feigned 

Reform conspiracy, 
Sidney and Russell were accused, 

And were condemned to die. 

In sixty-five, a plague* and firef 

A frightful havoc made : 
Of London city, full three-fourths 

In utter ruin laid. 

But Wren, j the famous architect, 
Rebuilt the town again ; 

# 68,596 persons died of this pestilence. 

f Within the space of four days, eighty-nine churches, (including 
St. Paul's,) the city gates, the Royal Exchange, the Custom House, 
Guildhall, Sion College, and many other public buildings, were de- 
stroyed, besides 13,200 houses, laying waste 400 streets. — Hume, 
Rapin, Carte. 

X Sir Christopher Wren. 



104 



HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 



St. Paul's Cathedral,* too, he built 
In this and the next reign. 

The famous Habeas Corpus act 
Was at this time produced; 

Turnpikes were first established then, 
And tea was introduced. 

Then Waller, f Cowley, f BunyanJ lived, 
And Baxter § wrote his " Call," 

And Milton his great work composed, 
Of the first sin and fall. 



Popes. 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 

Kings of Portugal. 



Alexander VII. . 1655 

Clement IX 1667 

Clement X 1670 

Innocent XI 1676 

Emperor of Germany. 
Leopold 1658 



Emperor of the Turks. 

A. D. 

Mahomet IV 1649 

Kings of Spain. 

Philip IV 1621 

Charles II 1665 

King of France. 
Louis XIV 1643 



Alphonso IV 1656 

Pedro II 1688 

Kings of Denmark. 
Frederick III. . . 1648 
Christian V 1670 

King of Sweden. 
Charles XI 1660 



* This cathedral was commenced in 1675, and concluded in thirty- 
five years; the year that it was finished the architect died, aged 
ninety-one. James's adherents were called Jacobites. 

f Poets. 

% Author of " Pilgrims' Progress." 

§ Theologian. 



IN VERSE. 105 

JAMES II. 



1685—1689. 4 YEARS. 



The reign of James the Second passed 
In weak attempts, and vain, 

To crush the English church, and bring 
The popish faith again : 

And when these inroads on their faith 
Had made his object known, 

Was Mary importuned to come 
And fill her father's throne. 

At h*er approach, James fled to France ; 

The people flocked around, 
And William, prince of Orange, and 

Mary, were sovereigns crowned. 

The duke of Monmouth, Charles's son, 

Aspiring to the throne, 
Was killed, with all who aided him, 

Wherever they were known. 

The Pennsylvania Colony 
Was first established then; 

It was composed of Quakers, led 
By the good William Penn. 



106 



HISTOEY OF ENGLAND, 



The poet Dryden, who ne'er told 
Unwelcome truths in rhyme, 

And Boyle, the chemist and the sage, 
Were authors of this time. 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Pope. 

a. D. 

Innocent XI. ... 1676 

Emperor of Germany. 
Leopold 1658 

Emperors of the Turks. 

Mahomet IV 1649 

Solyman III. . . . 1687 



King of France. 

a. D. 

Louis XIV 1643 



King of Spain. 
Charles II 1665 



King of Portugal. 
Pedro II 1668 



King of Denmark. 

a. D. 

Christian V 1670 



King of Sweden. 
Charles XI 1660 



WILLIAM III. AND MARY. 



1689—1702. 13 YEARS. 



"The Revolution," this is called, 
" Of sixteen eighty-eight ;" 

The Protestant succession it 
Secured unto the state ; 



The rights of parliament secured, 
Religious freedom, too ; 



IN VERSE. 107 

The king's prerogative confined 
Within the limits due. 

Ireland still adhered to James, 
But France his claim maintained, 

Till William, at the river Boyne, 
A victory o'er them gained. 

And Scotland did her ancient crown 

At William's footstool lay ; 
The Highlanders alone rebelled, 

Then yielded to his sway. 

But from the vale of fair Glencoe 

Bang out a fearful cry, 
For slight default, Argyle had doomed 

The whole to butchery. 

The "allied army"* fought with France — 
He took the chief command; 

At length the " Peace of Byswick" brought 
Bepose unto the land. 

Thirty-six million sterling for 

This single warf was paid, 
And of the nation's heavy debt 

This the foundation laid. 

* England, Germany, Holland, and Spain, were leagued together. 
f This is called "King William's War," or the "Glorious Revolu- 
tion of Sixteen Eighty-eight." Its cost to England was £36,000,000. 



108 HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 

A Bank* in England first was known 

In sixteen ninety-four, 
The goldsmiths had retained the gold 

Of monied men before. 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Popes. 



Alexander VII. . 1655 

Clement IX 1667 

Clement X 1670 

Innocent XI. ... 1676 

Emperor of Germany. 
Leopold 1658 



Emperor of the Tdrks. 
a. D. 

Mahomet IV.... 1649 

King of France. 
Louis XIV 1643 



Kings of Spain. 



Philip IV. . 
Charles II. 



1621 
1665 



Kings of Portugal, 
a. d 
Alphonso IV.... 1656 
Pedro II 166S 

Kings of Denmark. 
Frederick III.... 1648 
Christian V 1670 

King of Sweden. 
Charles XI 1660 



ANNE I. 



1702—1714. 12 YEARS. 



Again we note, conspicuous by 
The triumphs of the mind, 

The truly great ones of the earth,- 
Newton and Locke we find. 



* The name is derived from Banco, a bench which was erected in 
the market-places for the exchange of money. The mint, in the 
Tower of London, was anciently the depository for the merchants' 
cash, until Charles the First seized the money, and destroyed the 



IN VERSE. 109 

And in such royalty doth lie 

A nation's pride and hope ; 
In this reign^ too, lived Addison,* 

Rowe,f Steel 5 { and Swift§ and Pope.|| 

De Foe, Guy, Prior, Arbuthnot, 
Charmers of child and sage ; 

By some historians, this has been 
Called the " Augustan Age." 

The women from embroidery turned, 

And learned to study more, 
Translating Latin, Spanish, French, 

And Greek and Hebrew lore. If 

credit of the mint, 1640. The tradesmen were then driven to some 
other place of security for their gold, which, when kept at home, 
their apprentices frequently absconded with to the army. In 1645, 
they consented to lodge it with the goldsmiths, who were provided 
with strong iron chests for their own valuable wares, and this was 
the origin of banking in England. — Haydn. 

* Essayist — author of the Spectator, the first literary periodical 
published in England. 

f Poet and dramatist. \ Essayist and dramatist. 

\ Satirist. || Poet. 

\ So Harrison, a writer of that day, assures us, giving many names 
of ladies thus distinguished. The queen was a proficient in all these 
languages. After describing the various ways in which the ladies 
employ themselves for recreation from study, "some in exercising 
their fingers with the needle, divers in spinning of silk, the youngest 
with their lutes, citterns, pricksong, and all kinds of music, the eldest 
with skill in surgery and distillation of waters," he adds, " but there 
are none of them, but, when they be at home, can help to supply the 

10 



110 HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 

A Constitutional Union now 
England and Scotland bound, 

And from this time its monarchs were 
Kings of Great Britain crowned. 

Great Britain joined with Germany 

And Holland in a war 
Against the king of France, who strove 

To spread his conquests far. 

Marlborough led the British force, — 
The German, Prince Eugene ; 

At length the peace of "Utrecht" came 
In seventeen thirteen. 

France was subdued ; and England gained 

Gibraltar, Hudson's Bay, 
Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, — and 

She holds them at this day. 

Near three and sixty million pounds 
This war had cost the land; 

Oh, for its suffering poor, how much 
Might such a sum command ! 

The strife of Whig and Tory ran 
Higher than e'er was known ; 

Doctor Sacheverell then preached 
Obedience to the throne. 



ordinary wants of the kitchen with a number of delicate dishes of 
their own devising." 



IN YEESE. 



Ill 



The Whigs had ruled the parliament, 

And filled the ministry ; 
The Tories, e'er the reign had closed, 

Gained the ascendency. 



CONTEMPOKABY SOVEREIGNS. 



Pope. 

a. D. 

Clement XI 1700 

Emperors of Germany. 

Leopold 165S 

Joseph 1 1705 

Charles VI 1711 

Emperors of the Turks. 

Mustapha II 1695 

Achmet III 1703 



King of France. 

a. D. 

Louis XIV 1643 

King of Spain. 
Philip V 1700 

Kings of Portugal. 

Pedro II 1683 

John V 1707 



King of Denmark. 
Frederick IV.... 1699 

King of Sweden. 
Charles XII 1697 

King of Prussia. 
Frederick 1 1701 



HOUSE OF BRUNSWICK. 



GEORGE I. 



1714—1727. 13 YEARS. 



Without apparent discontent, 

King George the First was crowned, 

But soon, in James the Second's son, 
Was a "Pretender" found. 



112 



HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 



The English Tories and the Scotch 
Boldly maintained his right; 

Some were imprisoned, some were killed, 
But he escaped by flight. 

In past reigns war had drained the land, 
And funds had been obtained 

From companies of merchants, who 
But small per centage gained. 

Blount, of the " South Sea Company," 

Imposed a golden dream, 
Then bought the debts, and thousands fell 

By this the " South Sea Scheme." 

The streets of London being still 

"Without sufficient lights, 
Each house was ordered to hang out 

A lamp on moonless nights. 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Popes. 

A. D. 

Clement XI 1700 

Innocent XIII... 1721 
Benedict XIII... 1724 

Emperor of Germany. 
Charles VI 1711 



Emperor of the Tores, 
a. D. 

Achmet III 1703 

Emperor of Russia. 
Peter the Great, 
first emperor . 1702 



Empress of Russia. 

a. D. 

Catherine 1 1725 

Kings of France. 

Louis XIV 1643 

Louis XV 1715 

King of Spain. 
Philip V 1700 



IN VERSE. 113 

GEORGE II. 



1727—1760. 83 YEARS. 



For ten years after George was crowned 
Did peace triumphant reign, 

When, with scarce shadow for excuse, 
A war was broached with Spain. 

Then, to support the Austrian queen, 

Another war* was waged, 
And in this contest greater part 

Of Europe was engaged. 

The treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle 

Settled Theresa's claim ; 
But while King George made war abroad, 

The young "Pretender" came: 

And, aided by the king of France, 
Twice did he gain the field, 

But at Oulloden, in the fight, 
He was compelled to yield. 

He fled, and wandered through the land, 

Unsheltered and alone ; 
The Stuarts made no more attempts 

To gain the English throne. 



* This war was called the " War of the Austrian Succession;' 
it cost England £54,000,000. 

10* 



114 HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 

In North America did France 

On Britain's soil intrude, 
And, seventeen hundred fifty-five, 

A war* with her ensued. 

At first the French were conquerors, 

But at its close did they 
Surrender all of Canada 

Unto the British sway. 

In India the British had 

Extended wide their trade, 
And their "East India Company" 

Frequent encroachments made. 

The natives rose resistingly, 

But vain their efforts all ; 
They lost Bahar, Orissa, and 

The kingdom of Bengal. 

In seventeen hundred fifty-two 

New style was introduced; 
In England first in twenty-one 

Inoculation used.f 

* This war closed with the "Peace of Paris," Feb. 10th, 1763, the 
third year of the reign of George III. 

f Introduced from Turkey in 1721 by Lady Mary Wortley Mon- 
tague. She had her own son inoculated, and was afterwards allowed 
to have it tried upon seven condemned criminals. 



IN VERSE. 115 

In twenty-nine, the Methodists* 

First into notice came, — 
Wesley and Whitfield preached their faith, 

Warmed by a holy flame. 

Watts, f Thompson,f Young, f Goldsmith, f and 
Gray,J 

In this reign lived and wrote ; 
Hume,§ Collins, || Akenside,|| and Sterne, 

With many more of note. 

First Horace Walpole exercised 

The ministerial sway, 
And Pitt, the earl of Chatham, last 

Great statesman of his day. 

Then Rysback,lf Reynolds,** Wilson, ft lived, 
DoddridgeJJ and Dodsley,J| too, 

Halley,§§ Hogarth,|||| Howard, 1ft and 
The Lady Montague.*** 

* The name was suggested by the Latin appellation Methodistee, 
given to a college of physicians in ancient Rome, in consequence 
of the strict regimen under which they placed their patients. 

f Poets and miscellaneous writers. 

% Poet. I Historian. || Popular poets. 

\ (John Michael) sculptor. 

** (Sir Joshua) painter. Died 1792. 

ff (Richard) landscape painter. Died 1782. 

%% Poets. H Astronomer. 

IHI (William) painter. Died 1764. 

\\ (John) celebrated philanthropist. Died 1790. 

*** (Mary Wortley) distinguished writer. 



116 



HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Benedict XIII. . . 1724 

Clement XII 1738 

Benedict XIV. . . 1740 
Clement XIII. . . 1758 

Emperors of Germany. 

Charles VI 1711 

Charles VII 1740 

Francis Stephen 1745 

Emperors and 
Empresses of Russia. 

Peter II 1727 

Anne 1730 



John 1740 

Elizabeth 1741 

King of France. 
Louis XV 1715 

Kings of Spain. 
Philip V. (res.).. 1724 
Ferdinand VI. . . 1745 

Emperors of the Turks. 

Achmet III 1703 

Mahomet V 1730 

OsmanlL. 1754 

Mustapha III. . . 1757 



Kings of Portugal. 

A. D 

John V 1707 

Joseph 1750 

Kings of Denmark. 
Frederick IV.... 1699 

Christian VI 1730 

Frederick V 1746 

Kings of Sweden. 

Frederick 1720 

Adolphus 1750 

Kings of Prussia. 

Frederick II 1713 

Frederick III.... 1740 



GEORGE III. 



1760—1820. 60 YEARS. 



The ministry of George the Third 

A policy pursued, 
• Unto America unjust, 

And thence a war ensued. 



Her Independence she declared, 
Resolved to do and dare, — 

The shackles of a foreign king 
No lonsrer would she wear. 



IN VERSE. 117 

No longer be controlled by laws 

She had not helped to frame ; 
No longer taxed by parliament, 

Where she had not a name. 

In seventy-five, a war commenced, 

And, seventeen eighty-three, 
She was victorious, and the king 

Yielded his sovereignty. 

Her victory thrilled the heart of France, 

And its crushed masses rose 
In war upon the church and state, 

Their unrelenting foes. 

From slumber long and deep, the kings 

Of Europe roused to know 
That from the people, scorned so long, 

Might spring the deadliest foe. 

They hastened to the field, and stood 

An army close "allied," 
And goaded France to desperate deeds, 

Till blood flowed far and wide. 

Then, like a tempest, Bonaparte 
Rushing through Europe came, 

Ambitious, as a conqueror, 
To build himself a name : 



118 HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 

He crushed the crowns beneath his feet, 
And rocked the empires round, 

Till listening Europe recognised 
But war's terrific sound. 

England against Republic France 
Had constant battle made, 

And now against Imperial France 
Her forces were arrayed. 

She joined the nations, or she fought 
The desperate fight alone, 

Resolved nor blood nor gold to spare, 
'Till victory was won. 

Her Nelson conquered on the seas, 
With France and Spain at war — 

First, in the "Battle of the Nile," 
And last at Trafalgar. 

Talavera, Salamanca, 

Vittoria, Waterloo, 
Were battles where Lord Wellington 

Made her triumphant, too. 

On Waterloo the contest closed, 
Which had for twenty years 

Made Europe one great battle-field, 
And drenched her soil with tears. 



IN VERSE. 119 

For war, since sixteen eighty-eight,* 

Has England paid, 'tis found, 
Two billion, twenty million, and 

Five hundred thousand pound. 

In India, Great Britain fought, 

Extending wide her sway, 
O'er Hyder Ally conquering, 

But carnage marked her way. 

Against her power had Ireland, 

In ninety-two, rebelled; 
France aided, but Cornwallis soon 

The insurrection quelled. 

A union at length was formed 

In eighteen hundred one, 
And England, Scotland, Ireland, were 

Then as " Great Britain" known. 

America, in eighteen twelve, 

War upon England made ; 
England her seamen had impressed, 

And had disturbed her trade. 



* The period of the revolution which seated William and Mary 
upon the throne. 



120 HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 

For this, the horrors of three years 

Of warfare she endured ; 
She partly conquered on the seas, 

And then was peace procured. 

The Algerines, as pirates, were 

Notorious near and far, 
And their inhuman law made slaves 

Of prisoners of war. 

An English fleet assailed their coast, 

And only granted peace 
Upon the terms that slavery should 

In their dominion cease. 

And she abolished, in the year 

Of eighteen hundred seven, 
Her foreign slave-trade,* — piracy, 

None baser under Heaven ! 

Though poets wrote to gain this end, 

And politicians, too, 
To Clarkson, Sharpe, and Wilberforce, 

Is the great merit due. 

* It was shown by authentic documents, produced by government, 
that from 1792 to 1807, a period of fifteen years, upwards of three 
millions, five hundred thousand Africans had been taken from their 
country, and had either miserably perished on the passage, or been 
sold in the West Indies. — Butler. 






IN TERSE. 121 

This reign was marked by vigorous thought — 

By rapid progress made 
In navigation, letters, arts, 

In wealth, in power and trade. 

There we find Gibbon,* Robertson,* 

Fox,f Sheridan, f and Tooke,J 
Johnson, § Burke,f Blackstone,|| Adam Smith, If 

Cowper,** Bruce, ft Burns,** and Cook.Jt 

Priestley,§§ Home, |||| Paley,TT Reynolds,*** 

Reid,ftt 
Stewart, Jtt Brown, §§§ More, |||||| and 

Blair,«m 
Herschell,**** Bell,fttt Davy,Btt Byron,** 
White,** 
Shelley,** and Keats,** were there. 

* Historian. f Statesman and orator. 

X (Home) philosopher. $ Lexicographer. 

|| Eminent lawyer. ^ Political economist. 

** Poet. ft Traveller. 

%X Navigator. g$ Philosopher and writer. 

HI] Theologian. f^[ Metaphysician. 
*** Painter. 

Iff Metaphysician, poet, essayist, and moralist. 

XXX Philosopher. \H Philosophical writer. 
HUH (Hannah) essayist and moralist, 

flffl Theologian and rhetorician. **** Astronomer. 
ffff Surgeon, anatomist, and physiologist. 
XXXX Chemist. 
11 



122 HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 

The Spinning Jenny* first was used 
In seventeen sixty-nine ; 

In eighty-five, the stages first 
Carried the written line. 



In seventeen hundred ninety-eight 

Was vaccination used ;f 
In eighteen hundred and fourteen 

Was gas first introduced. 

A locomotive-engine first 
In eighteen four was seen ; 

The first steamboat, in England, built 
In eighteen and fifteen. 

In sixteen, Davy's Safety Lamp 
The venturous miner saved; 

In eighteen, pictures upon steel 
By Perkins were engraved. 



* The first spinning jenny was made by Hargreaves, of Lan- 
cashire, 1767; it was improved by Sir Richard Arkwright, and a 
patent taken out, in 1769. Cotton was formerly spun by the hand. 

f Discovered by Dr. Jenner. 



IN YEESE. 



123 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Popes. 

Clement XIV. . . 1769 

Pius VI 1775 

Pius VII 1800 

Emperors of Germany. 

Joseph II 1765 

Leopold II 1790 

Francis II 1792 

Assumed the title 

of Emperor of 

Austria. 



Emperors of the Tcrks. 
a. D. 

Mustapha III 1757 

Achmet IV 1774 

Selim III 17S9 

Mahmoud VI. . . 1808 

Emperors and 
Empresses of Russia. 

Peter III 1762 

Catherine II. . . . 1763 

Paul 1 1797 

Alexander 1801 



Sovereigns of France. 
a. D. 

Louis XVI 1774 

Republic 1793 

Napoleon, Consul 1799 

" Emperor 1804 

Louis XVIII. ... IS 14 



Kings of Spain. 

Charles III. . „ . . 1759 

Charles IV 1788 

Ferdinand VII. . 1808 



GEORGE IV. 



1820—1830. 10 YEARS. 



George Fourth arraigned his queen for crimes, 

But proof he could not find, 
And to deprive her of her rights, 

The House of Lords declined. 



Hostilities had ceased, but wars' 
Encumbrances remained, 

And various speculative schemes 
Unwonted credence gained. 



124 HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 

In twenty-five, the "bubbles"* burst, 

And vanished into air, — 
Four hundred thousand sterling pounds 

Were represented there. 

England refused her aid to France 

To tyrannize in Spain, 
But she assisted Greece, who strove 

Her freedom to regain. 

With Russia and with France allied, 
She fought the Turkish fleet, — 

In Navarino harbour gained 
A victory complete. 

For years had Greece been suffering 

Beneath the Turkish yoke, 
But now she rose exultingly — 

Her galling fetters broke. 

In Africa and India 

Were insurrections quelled, 
For still against their conquerors 

The colonists rebelled. 

A Bill, providing that the laws 

No longer should remain 
To Roman Catholics opposed, 

Distinguished this reign. 

* This has been styled "the year of the disastrous speculation in 
hubbies." 



IN VERSE. 



125 



Macadamizing London streets 

In twenty-four began, 
And carriages, propelled by steam, 

In twenty-nine first ran. 

Then Coleridge,* Crabbe,* and Southey,f lived, 
Hemans,J Hogg,§ Hall,|| and Scott, If 

Lander** and Lamb, ft with more whose names 
Will long be unforgot. 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Pope. 

a. D. 

Leo XII 1823 

Emperor of Austria. 

Francis 1804 

King of Bavaria. 
Louis Charles 

Augustus 1825 

King of the 

Netherlands. 

William 1 1813 

King and Electorate 

of Bohemia. 

Francis II 1792 

King of Denmark. 
Frederick VI. . . 1808 

King of France. 
Charles X 1824 



King of Prussia. 

a. D. 

Frederick III. . . 1797 

King of Hanover. 
George IV. king of 
Great Britain .1820 

Kings of Naples and 
Sicily. 

Ferdinand IV. 

(restored).... 1824 
Francis Janvier 

Joseph 1825 

King of Spain. 
Ferdinand VII. . 1S0S 

King of Poland. 
Nicholas I., see 
Russia 1825 



Queen of Portugal. 

A. D. 

Donna Maria da 

Gloria 1831 

Emperor of Russia. 

Nicholas 1 1825 

King of Sardinia. 

Charles Felix. .. 1821 

King of Saxony. 
Anthony Clement 1827 

King of Sweden and 

Norway. 

Charles XIV 1818 

Grand Seignior of 
Turkey. 

Mahmoud VI. . . 1808 

King of Wirtemberg. 
Frederick Wil- 
liam 1816 



* Poets. f Poet, historian, and biographer. J Poetess. 

§ (Ettrick Shepherd) poet. |j Eminent divine. 

IT Novelist, poet, historian, and biographer. 
** African traveller. ft Essayist. 

11* 



126 HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 

WILLIAM IV. 



1830—1837. 7 YEARS. 



When William, brother to the king, 

Succeeded to the throne, 
The people had resolved to make 

Their heavy grievance known. 

War had increased the nation's debt 

Beyond its power to pay, 
And 'neath the taxes, quadrupled, 

The groaning people lay. 

They urged upon the parliament 
That members should be sent 

More from the counties and the towns, 
Their rights to represent. 

The duke of Wellington resigned, 
Grey fought the battle through, 

And the "Reform Bill" passed at length 
In eighteen thirty-two. 

Reform was gained for Ireland, too, 
Where great distress prevailed ; 

She sought to be relieved from tithes, — 
But here her efforts failed. 



IN Y ERSE. 127 

To use the surplus of this fund 

To aid the public good 
The Commons moved, but in the House 

Of Lords it was withstood. 

O'Connell preached throughout the land 

The Union repeal, 
And urged it as the only means 

The nation's wounds to heal. 

But the great fact in William's reign 
On which the Christian smiles, 

Is that eight hundred thousand slaves, 
In the West India isles, 

Were loosed in eighteen thirty-four 

By parliament's decree, 
And twenty millions sterling paid 

To set the bondman free. 

In England's annals, this is found 

To be the only reign 
In which no foreign war was waged, 

No man for treason slain. 



128 HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 

ALEXANDRINA VICTORIA. 



Began to reign June 20th, 1837. 



Shouts rent the air, and far and near 

Were joyful faces seen, 
When to the English throne advanced 

A fair and youthful queen. 

Ere long, disturbances arose 

In Canada, and war 
Has since been waged with Syria, 

With China and Lahore. 

In the wide question of " Repeal," 

All Ireland has engaged; 
Frightfully famine and disease, 

And civil war, have raged. 

The reformation long required 
In Corn laws has been made, 

And England has adopted now 
The system of Eree trade.* 

* It is thought correct to say she has adopted the system of free 
trade. She has no "protective tax" — no tax to protect her own 
manufactures; but an "income tax" and a tax on goods imported, 
(such as she does not grow,) to produce a revenue. This tax 
averages 10 per cent., excepting on tobacco, which pays 300 per cent. 



IN VERSE. 129 

The working classes have combined, 
Their wrongs have been revealed, 

Five millions of the " Chartists"* have 
To parliament appealed. 

The tax on window-panes has been 

Abolished in this reign; 
The "Penny Postage system" doth 

Throughout the realm obtain. f 

Vessels propelled by steam have first 

An ocean passage made, 
And the Electric Telegraph J 

The message has conveyed* 

England has mourned the great and good, 
Passed from the earth away, — 

* So called from the Charter which they presented to parliament. 
Their chief demands are, Universal suffrage, Vote by ballot, No pro- 
perty qualification for voting, Annual parliaments, Payment of mem- 
bers, and Equal Electoral districts. 

| Established in 1840. 

| England and France are now connected by electric telegraph 
wires cased in gutta percha, which were sunk in the channel, from 
Dover to Cape Geisnez, Aug. 28th, 1850. The sea here is from 30 
to 160 feet deep. The number of miles of telegraphic lines in Great 
Britain in 1849, all on railway tracks, was 2000. The cost, $750 
per mile. 



130 HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 

Philanthropists, philosophers, 
Poets, and statesmen, they.* 

But those yet live, whose minds and hearts 

Would honour any age, — 
Whose names, in days that are to come, 

Will brighten history's page. 

Efforts are making to diffuse 

Learning amongst the poor, 
And to repeal the olden "Law 

Of Primogeniture."! 

* Among the distinguished individuals who have died since the 
commencement of this reign, are: — 



Letitia McClean (L. E.Lan- 

don), Poet 1838 

Costley Paxton Cooper, M. D., 

Medical Writer 1S40 

Robert Southey, Poet, Histo- 
rian, and Biographer .... 1S43 
Thomas Campbell, Poet . . . 1844 
Thomas Henderson, Astro- 
nomer 1844 

Thomas Hood, Poet 1845 

Elizabeth Fry, Philanthro- 
pist 1845 

R. B. Haydon, Painter 1846 

Thomas Chalmers, D. D., 
Theologian and Political 

Economist 1846 

Daniel 0"Connell 1847 

D'Israeli, Literateur 1848 

Thomas Dick, Astronomer . 1849 
Maria Edgeworth, Novelist 1849 



Cooke Taylor, Historian . . . 1849 
Horace Smith, Literateur . . 1849 

Lord Eldon 1849 

W. L. Bowles, Poet . 1849 

Sir William Allen, Painter. 1849 

W. Prout, Chemist 1849 

Jane Porter, Novelist 1849 

W. Kirby, Entomologist 1849 

William Wordsworth, Poet 1850 

R. Westall, Painter 1850 

R. J. Wyatt, Sculptor 1850 

Sir M. A. Shee, Painter 1850 

P. F. Tyler, Historian 1850 

Joanna Baillie, Poet and No- 
velist 1851 

Ebenezer Elliot, Author of 

" Corn Law Rhymes" . . . 1851 
Sir Robert Peel, Prime Mi- 
nister of England, July, 1851 
Thomas Moore, Poet 1852 



f This law was introduced by Will am the Conqueror. 



IN VERSE. 131 

The right of Franchise to extend, — 

The Jews to free from all 
The legal disabilities 

Which hold them now in thrall. 

And for the delver in the mine, 

The toiler at the loom, 
The convict in the prison-cell, 

Light breaketh through the gloom. 

Great Britain challenges the world, 

And worketh what she will; 
In commerce, all unrivalled she, 

And in industrial skill. 

In science, literature, and arts, 

She has a glorious fame; 
Unto the sea's wide sovereignty, 

Europe accords her claim. 

For bridges, roads, canals, no land 

Can with her own compare ; 
In unsurpassed magnificence 

Arise her buildings fair. 

On every sea her sail is spread, 

In every port 'tis furled, — 
The " Land of Tin" has now become 

The wonder of the world ! 



CHRONOLOGICAL CHART, 

TABLES, &o. 



(132) 



REIGNING SOVEREIGNS. 



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STATISTICS, 



DESCRIPTIVE OF TIIE PRESENT CONDITION OF GREAT BRITAIN. 



Total area of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. 

Sq. Miles. Pop. in 185]. 

England 58,648 16,965,684 

Scotland 31,268 2,870,784 

Wales 7,263 1,100,000 

Ireland 28,095 6,515,794 



Great Britain and Ireland 125,274 27,452,262 



London about 2,000,000 

Liverpool « 300,000 

Edinburgh and Leitb « 200,000 

Glasgow « 300,000 

Manchester « 320,000 



The possessions of Great Britain in Europe are : 
Heligoland, Gibraltar, and the Ionian Isles. 

In Africa. 
Senegambia and Upper Guinea, Cape Colony, St. Helena, Mau- 
ritius, &c. 

In Asia. 
Hindostan, part of Farther India, Ceylon, Singapore, Hongkong, &c. 

In Australasia. 
Australia, Van Diemen's Land, New Zealand, and Norfolk Island. 

In America. 

British North America, Guiana, many of the West India Islands, 
Bahamas, and Balize. 

Total area of these possessions, 4,686,000 miles. Total population 
in 1844, 131,000,000. 

(142) 



STATISTICS. 143 

National Debt £SOO,000,000 

Revenue for the year ending Jan. 5, 1850 52,951,748 

Expenditure 50,853,622 



Exports of Great Britain and Ireland, 1849, £58,848,042, being an 
increase of £9,902,717 over those of 1848. 
Of the exports, there were : 

To British Colonies £16,594,037 

United States of America 9,564,909 

Brazil 2,067,299 

China 1.445,959 

Cuba 733,169 

Mexico and Central South America 3,757,463 



Annual Produce. Value. 

Cotton £35,000,000 

Woollen 22,000,000 

Iron and Wood ware 1 7,000,000 

Watches, Jewelry, &c 3,000,000 

Leather 13,500,000 

Linen 8,000,000 

Silk 10,000,000 

Glass and Earthen ware 4,250,000 

Paper 1,500,000 

Hats 2,400,000 

Total £116,650,000 

(McCulloch.) 

Value of tlie Agricultural Produce, exclusive of Wood. 

England and Wales £132,500,000 

Scotland 20,455,000 

Ireland 44,500,000 

Total £197,455,000 

These estimates must be regarded as mere approximations, though 
we are disposed to think they come pretty near the mark. — McCulloch. 

There must, necessarily, be a great deal of looseness in such com- 
putations, though we do not believe that the result involves any very 
material error. There are no means of forming any tolerable correct 
estimate of the extent of land under different crops in Ireland. — lb. 



144 STATISTICS. 

It is supposed that, of the 8,500,000 people in Ireland, 50,000 are 
mainly supported by the potatoe ; and that, of the remainder, 2,500,000 
depend principally upon oats. — lb. 



Spirits, 1840. 

In England, Ireland, and Scotland, duty was paid in 1840 on the 
following quantities of spirits, viz: — G 

Rum 2,830,263 

Brandy 1.167,756 

Geneva 18,640 

On other foreign spirits 8,758 

On British, Irish, and Scotch spirits 25,190,843 

Making, in the whole, nearly 30,000,000 gallons, upon which the 
duty amounted to about eight millions of pounds sterling. — Pari. Ret. 



Acres. 

Waste land in Great Britain and Ireland 15,301,994 

Bog land in Ireland 3,000 



Square miles of Coal formation in Great Britain 11,859 

Tons of Coal produced in 1845 31,500,000 

Estimated value at the place of production £9,450,000 

( World's Progress.) 

Miles. 

Canals in England 2,800 

In Ireland 300 

Railways in Great Britain in 1850 6,075 

Receipts per mile per week, £44. — American Almanac for 1S50. 
5,308 miles have been opened since 1844. The receipts per mile 
have decreased £20. 



Electric Telegraph lines in England in 1849 2,000 miles. 



Vessels in Commerce and Fisheries 23,898 

Tonnage 3,007.581 



STATISTICS. 145 

Navy, in 1845 680 vessels. 

Army 122,000 men. 

Stationed in India 30,000 « 

(Ungeiuitter.) 

Poor Tax in England in 1845 £5,418,845 

In Ireland there is no compulsory poor tax. 



Universities 3. — London, Oxford, and Cambridge. Oxford has 
twenty colleges and twenty-five halls ; Cambridge, thirteen colleges 
and four halls. 



Instruction to the people in England 1 in 20 

" " " Scotland 1 in 1 1 

" " " Ireland 1 in 35 



Public Schools for the Poor, exclusive of Sunday Schools. 

Schools. Scholars. 

England 13,642 998,431 

Scotland 4,836 181,467 

Wales 841 38,164 

Ireland 13,327 774,000 



32,646 1,992,062 



Public Libraries in Great Britain 53 

Volumes 1,780,000 

None are taken into account which contain less than ten thousand 

volumes. — Pari. Rep. Brit. Mus. 

New books annually printed, exclusive of pamphlets and reprints, 

fifteen thousand. 



Newspapers published in Great Britain in 1849. 

London 160 

Scotland 232 

Ireland 117 

English Provinces 94 

603 

13 



146 STATISTICS. 

Advertisements in the London Newspapers in 1849, <£8S6,108; 
paying a gross duty of £66,453. 

The annual revenue from the Penny Post, after paying all expenses, 
is about £84,000. 



There are about three million five hundred houses in England.— 
Peter. 

As nearly as can be estimated, the rental of 

England, Scotland, and Wales, will amount to about £34,000,000 

Ireland 12,715,478 



War absorbs ninety-nine cents of every dollar. — Sumner. 

Fifteen million pounds annually appropriated for Army and 
Navy. — lb. 

Forty million pounds annual tax to pay for former wars, and to 
prepare for new. — lb. 

Four million pounds annual appropriation for all civil purposes of 
government. — lb. 



Congregations. 

Roman Catholics 416 

Presbyterians 197 

Independents 1840 

Baptists 1201 

Calvinistic Methodists 427 

Wesleyan " 28 18 

Other " 396 



THE END. 






LINDSAY & BLAKISTON 

PUBLIS H 

MY LITTLE GEOGRAPHY, 

FOR 

PRIMARY SCHOOLS ANDFOR BEGINNERS. 

WITH NUMEEOUS ILLUSTRATIONS. 
EDITED BY MRS. L. C. TUTHILL. 

RECOMMENDATIONS. 
From. Mrs. E. W. Phelps, Principal of the Female Seminary, Shepherdstown, Jefferson County, Va. 
Messrs. Lindsay cf Blakiston : — " My Little Geography" is the favourite volume of my younger pu 
pils, who have beeu charmed with the chapters they have studied, and delighted at finding they could 
commit the sprightly little verses to memory. Such an elementary treatise was quite a deside- 
ratum, and I am pleased that the idea suggested itself to a person capable of carrying it out, in a 
Btyle so peculiarly adapted to instruct and interest the young. 

Very respectfully yours, 

E. W. PHELPS. 



From J. E. Lovell, Principal of the Lancasterian School, New Haven, Conn. 
I have examined a little work, by Mrs. L. C. Tuthill, entitled "My Little Geography." It is by no 
means an easy task to write well for young children, but this performance is, I think, highly success- 
ful. Its language is simple and chaste ; its sentences concise, and its topics so treated that the 
youngest pupil will easily understand them. Several books for beginners in Geography— excellent in 
most respects— have been published within a few years ; but they are, without an exception, so far 
as my knowledge extends, too comprehensive, and above the capacities of those for whose particular use 
they were intended. Mrs. TuthilTs little work may be used as introductory to either of them, with 
great advantage ; it will do its own part well, and open the way for the better accomplishment of 
that which belongs to its successors. I hope it may have an extensive circulation. 

J. E. LOVELL. 

OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. 
This is the title of a captivating little book for children, by which they are led, almost insensibly, into 
a knowledge of geographical terms.— Commercial Advertiser. 



Than this unpretending little work we have never seen a more useful or appropriate school-book, 
or one more admirably calculated for beginners in geography; we can recommend it, without 
fear of responsibility, to our seminaries, a3 well deserving a trial. — Southern Patriot. 



We welcome, with particular pleasure, this little work ; the author has succeeded admirably in pro- 
ducing a book which must prove a valuable auxiliary to parents and teachers, as well as a delight- 
ful and instructive companion for children. — Saturday Courier. 



Tins is an attractive, we must add, entertaining book; as a first Geography for children, it is ad- 
mirably suited to their capacities, and its embellishments cannot fail to interest them.- Christian 
Observer. 



This is a most admirable wc rk for youns beginners in Geography ; it should be introduced into fami- 
lies and soli ools — Intelligence* nd Journal 



LINDSAY & BLAKISTON 

PUBLISH 

AUNT MARY'S TALES, 

BY MRS. HUGHS, 

UTjCHOR OF "buds and blossoms/' "ivy wreath," etc. etc, 

A SERIES OF JUVENILE BOOKS, 

FOR 

ItttU 3ht[s aaa ITitiU ttrli. 

EACH VOLUME ILLUSTRATED BY A COLOURED FRONTISPIECE. 

Ten Volumes, square 16mo. t 

CONTAINING AS FOLLOWS : 

THE YOUNG ARTIST, OR SELF-CONQUEST. 

THE YOUNG SAILOR, OR PERSEVERANCE REWARDED. 

HOLIDAYS IN THE COUNTRY, OR VANITY DISAPPOINTED. 

GENEROSITY, OR THE STORY OF SYBELLA AND FLORENCE. 

THE MOTHER'S BIRTHDAY, OR THE BROKEN VASE. 

LISSLE LINDEN, OR HER MOCKING-BIRD. 

THE GIPSEY FORTUNE-TELLER, OR THE TROUBADOUR. 

FRANK WORTHY, OR THE ORPHAN AND HIS BENEFACTOR. 

MAY MORNING, OR A VISIT TO THE COUNTRY. 

THE PROUD GIRL HUMBLED, OR THE TWO SCHOOLMATES. 

NOTICES OF THE PRESS. 

We are glad to see a lady of Mrs. Hughs' abilities so usefully employed. 
Her stories are written in an engaging style, which will insure their eager 
perusal, while they convey sound instruction in regard to the improvement 
of the temper, and the proper cultivation of the domestic and social affec- 
tions,-— &z^r<fa?/ Courier. 

— B45 * 

A sci-ies of highly attractive little books for juvenile readers from the 
pen of Mrs. Hughs, which are happily narrated in a style and manner cal- 
culated to awaken an interest in the minds of the young, and blend instruc- 
tion with amusement, in forms adapted to promote their improvement.— 
Christian Observer. 











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